The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Longer no-float period suggested for heron protection
By Mark Reaman
The town of Crested Butte is on board with a proposed Slate River Floating Management Plan that relies on education, etiquette and a voluntary “no-float period” from March 15 to June 21. The final plan was presented to the Town Council Monday, October 15 and came from a working group of stakeholders who spent months analyzing the issue.
The voluntary ban on the Upper Slate is there to provide protection to a rookery of great blue herons that is located close to the Wildbird Estates subdivision below the Gunsight Bridge. The early spring period is when the herons are most sensitive with nesting, incubation and raising their young. The draft management plan originally suggested the no-float period end on June 15, but after vocal public input the working group that came up with the recommendations extended that period to June 21.
Crested Butte Land Trust stewardship director Hedda Peterson said the group was formed after there was a big increase in the number of people floating the river in tubes and standup paddle boards (SUPs). The rookery is located on the bank of the Slate River on land trust–owned property and the concern was that the noise and presence of people would result in the birds’ not returning to the nests. Peterson said that sometimes various conservation values come into conflict and that has happened in this case between wildlife protection and recreation.
“The reason to institute and publicize a voluntary no-float period in the Upper Slate is because the working group wanted to steer clear of unsettled law in regard to the state’s right to float regulations, Peterson said. “We hope it is something the community can get behind. We realize it won’t sit well with some folks but it is a first step. We will see how it goes. This is an adaptive approach that can be adjusted.”
Crested Butte community development director Michael Yerman said the fact that people can access the river at the BLM’s Oh Be Joyful campground prohibits a floating ban. He said the idea of the voluntary no-float period is one that would push the goal of instilling a river ethic.
“The June 21 date was an extension from the original proposal,” added CBLT executive director Noel Durant. “There was a shift and understanding after the public forum” that more rookery protection was needed. He said that with the June 21 date there would be some years the river wouldn’t be able to be floated at all because of low water conditions.
Local property owner Wayne Meredith said people would be trespassing if they simply floated through his private property on the Slate and he intended to take action if that occurred.
Town attorney Barbara Green said there were two points of view concerning the right to float laws in Colorado and that was why the law was considered “unsettled.” She said it would be up the state legislature to address and clarify the issue, but the legislature has not done so.
Aside from the voluntary no-float period and making it clear that the area near the rookery is a “quiet zone,” developing a so-called “river ethic” was another major focus of the report. “Frequent infractions of proper river etiquette in recent years include large-sized groups, loud/amplified music, use of the river bank as restrooms, littering, trespassing, lack of proper gear including life jackets and a general lack of preparedness by floaters,” the report states.
The Working Group seeks to build a river ethic that is understood and promoted by locals and visitors, and has developed agreed-upon floating parameters that are already being incorporated into signage and outreach materials.”
Peterson likened the development of the river ethic to what the mountain biking community has done with local trails. She said the plan was a “community-derived approach to find a solution” and emphasized that the plan was adaptive and could be changed if needed. “It addresses a very complex issue,” she said.
Crested Butte open space coordinator Mel Yemma said the comprehensive plan involved a lot of discussion and compromise among stakeholders. “The working group took in a lot of information to make an informed decision that minimized the impacts to the habitat and respected recreation and floaters,” Yemma said.
A Western Colorado University study of the heron rookery was conducted this past summer and a final report should be completed by the end of the year. More research will be conducted in 2019.
Other areas in the plan address subjects such as installing river fencing, prohibiting dogs on float trips and building infrastructure at put-ins and take-outs to accommodate the increase in people using the river.
“We understand that if we build it they will come,” said Peterson. “But these areas are used for so many different activities that proper infrastructure is necessary.”
The group will seek grants to help pay for the short-term solutions such as signage and public outreach. They will also embark on a formal outreach campaign to spread the word on how to properly behave while floating and how to respect the voluntary no-float period.
