The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Irwin seems to have exploded
By Mark Reaman
As summer begins to wind down near Crested Butte, the Forest Service is trying to get a solid handle on backcountry camping use and the impact, if any, of 2016 restrictions on dispersed camping in the Gothic corridor. Gunnison National Forest rangers are already discussing how to deal with backcountry camping next summer.
Gunnison District Forest Service district ranger John Murphy said it appears there have been more backcountry impacts than normal in all the drainages around Crested Butte, but you can’t necessarily point the finger at the Gothic Valley dispersed camping ban as the reason.
“The resource impacts are primarily on vegetation and oftentimes located in sensitive riparian areas,” Murphy explained. “In many instances, new motorized routes have been pioneered into previously undisturbed areas. We are seeing wildlife impacts, too. We are getting more bear complaints this year than in previous years and this may be due to more people camping in the area.
“Attributing resource impacts in other drainages to the Gothic dispersed camping closure is speculative and we don’t have any data to substantiate this notion. We are seeing a lot of recreation use in Washington Gulch, on the Slate River and near Irwin. We don’t know if the camping closure in the Gothic corridor has affected other drainages. We are seeing increased visitation everywhere across the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.”
The foresters have data showing that the number of sites in most area drainages has been stable for the last 15 years, but Murphy said, “This may have been affected by the implementation of our 2010 travel management decision where some dispersed camp sites and spur roads were closed. The only area that showed an appreciable increase in the number of dispersed campsites is near Lake Irwin, where the number of sites more than doubled.”
Murphy said the district received a heads-up from the Lake Irwin Coalition stating there is “illegal primitive camping between the Dyke Trail and Eleven’s cat barn,” and asking the Forest Service to “take precautions and proactive measures to prevent the environmental degradation of the area.”
Given the impact to local backcountry resources, the forest rangers are discussing how to best address the issue.
“Our primary concern is the resource damage that we are seeing. The resource impacts in riparian areas is particularly disturbing,” said Murphy. “If we propose any closures to dispersed camping we will be asking for public input. There are other actions that we are considering that would not require public input to implement. These could include signage, installation of barriers and things like that.”
Overall, Murphy said, the public has been primarily supportive of the action that closed dispersed camping near Gothic and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. “We have not received many complaints or negative comments from the public about the Gothic dispersed camping closure. Most forest users seem to be supportive of the closure order,” he said. “RMBL executive director Ian Billick has seen fewer negative impacts to research plots, which was the primary purpose in putting the order in place. The order has improved the human waste issues that were raised as a concern by RMBL last year.”
Billick agrees the move has made RMBL’s situation better. “The Gunnison District and GMUG are to be commended,” he said. “We saw a very large decline in the disruption of research and resource damage. There is still some work to be done to provide a quality experience for visitors in all valleys and reduce impacts on ranching. The lack of bathrooms at West Maroon Trailhead is a disgrace and really needs to be dealt with.”
The closure isn’t the only thing to have had an impact. Murphy said seeing more rangers in the area has helped people make good decisions. “Most forest users want to do the right thing and comply with our travel management and dispersed camping decisions. The public likes to talk to Forest Service personnel and law enforcement officers,” he said. “Our Field Ranger program, which began this summer, has increased Forest Service presence around Crested Butte and these employees have been well-received by forest users.
“I do think people should be aware that as we see unacceptable resource impacts occur due to increased use of the area by the public it is likely that they will also see more intensive recreation management by the Forest Service,” Murphy summarized. “A lot of the resource impacts can be addressed through education, enforcement and engineering.”
