The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“A political football”
The Gunnison County Board of Commissioners is turning its attention to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s Wild Lands Policy that gives the Bureau of Land Management authority to identify wilderness quality lands—something the board been reluctant to do until now.
“Support or opposition to this order has come down pretty strictly on party lines and has become somewhat of a political football since the rescinding of this back in 2003 under the Bush Administration,” said commissioner Hap Channell at Tuesday’s commissioner’s meeting.
But the commissioners have received several requests from the public to declare a formal position on order number 3310. Issued by Salazar in December 2010, it effectively overturned a 2003 settlement between then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton and the state of Utah. The latter limited the authority of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to manage BLM lands with wilderness characteristics.
“What Secretary Salazar’s [order] does is bring this back to where it was prior to the 2003 [settlement]. So it’s getting kicked around here a little bit politically, and we need to be aware of that,” Channell said.
Gunnison BLM field manager Brian St. George said, “The intent is to fill a gap in wilderness policy that was left as result of the [2003] settlement that essentially brought an end to BLM authority to inventory and classify (but not recommend) wilderness areas,” he said.
According to St. George, the BLM is already refining its policies according to the Wild Lands Policy. When pressed by county commissioner Phil Chamberland, St. George was unable to say exactly what that will mean but did suggest that it will not affect local and public input. St. George plans a full presentation to the commissioners on February 22.
After minor contention over the need to support or oppose the order, the board determined that it will consider the matter more fully at its next meeting.
