Council to consider support for Bear Ranch deal

Koch wants his privacy

Despite a request from the proponents of the Bear Ranch land exchange near Paonia, the Crested Butte Town Council wanted more information before taking a stand on the proposal. They will have staff gather information and pros and cons, and discuss the merits of the plan at the January 17 meeting.

Former Crested Butte mayor Tom Glass of the Western Land Group, Inc. came before the council Tuesday, January 3 asking for a letter of support for the exchange. “We’ve been at this a long time,” he told the council. “Bear Ranch is a working ranch 20 miles west of here near Erickson Springs. The owner [energy billionaire Bill Koch] wants to obtain a strip of BLM land that split the ranch. We have proposed a land exchange.”
Under the proposal, Koch would obtain 1,846 acres of BLM land in six parcels near the property that would tie the Bear Ranch together. In exchange, he would purchase parcels of land near the Curecanti National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument, Marble, Paonia and Erickson Springs and give them to the public.
“We have letters of support from the Gunnison County Commissioners, the Delta County Commissioners, the city of Gunnison and we would like one from you,” Glass told the Town Council. “We have made some significant additions to the proposal we first suggested in 2010. There is the additional land, trailheads, and we will construct trails. One of those would help facilitate the Crested Butte to Carbondale trail. The Jumbo Mountain trail would provide access to 126 miles of mountain bike trails.”
Councilperson John Wirsing asked why the huge effort was being made if the idea is to join two parts of a working ranch. “The BLM already allows ranching on the property,” he said.
“Bill Koch wants his privacy, so he is going to great lengths to have it,” explained Glass. “There are all sorts of conflicts in the area with trespassing, especially during hunting season. There are bullets flying around the houses. There is a 20-acre family compound that is developed. The ranch manager is an incredible steward of the land. But the public access is a quarter-mile wide and almost no one uses it any other time of the year. We have gone to great lengths to make this a better deal for everyone.
“The Gunnison commissioners wrote a very clear and conditional letter of support,” continued Glass. “A lot of the ranchers over there don’t want the Crested Butte to Carbondale trail because of the increased traffic and impacts.”
Councilperson Jim Schmidt asked if Koch was donating property but keeping the mineral rights. “He owns Oxbow and is he going to be able to develop mining on the land?”
Glass said they are conveying all mineral rights to the government in the Curecanti and Dinosaur National Monument land exchange. “We are not acquiring any additional mineral rights,” he said.
Mayor Aaron Huckstep said as a former mayor, Glass could appreciate the council taking some time to consider the letter request.
The council asked parks and recreation director Jake Jones to gather information for the council to review. Jones, who is also a member of the Gunnison Trails Commission that supported the land trade, said he would have a memo with “objective information on the complex issue” to the council by next meeting.
The council asked Glass to return to answer questions and he said he would be happy to return to his old town.