The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Not without some philosophical struggle
[ By Mark Reaman ]The Crested Butte town council unanimously voted to contribute $10,000 on Monday to help pay for four more backcountry rangers that will help monitor and maintain the local Forest Service public lands this summer. That brings the total raised to $45,500 in a $60,000 goal.
Nick Catmur on behalf of the Gunnison County Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation (STOR) committee explained the situation to the council and said the four-person crew is made up of experienced backcountry personnel who will report to the Gunnison Ranger District recreation staff officer Matt Quinn. All have worked in the position before but have been part of federal layoffs. He said STOR has committed $15,000 toward the $60,000 seasonal expense as has the Gunnison County MetRec board. Gunnison Trails has pledged $5,000 and the High Country Conservation Advocates has committed $500.
The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) will administer the crew’s payroll situation and aside from absorbing additional expenses, is ready to contribute needed cash as well. According to a memo from STOR, the seasonal stewards will be responsible for providing essential services such as education, outreach, maintenance, cleaning, and stewardship across the Gunnison National Forest.
Crested Butte’s representative to the STOR committee, Gabi Prochaska, said it wasn’t an easy endeavor to support without question. “I struggle with this. I’m in favor of supporting the Forest Service but talking to some citizens, there is some concern,” she said. “Some have said it is triple taxation for federal lands since we pay taxes to the federal government, to MetRec and the town. I think it needs to be made clear that there has to be a little pain visible from the decisions being made at the federal level. I feel like there needs to be acknowledgment that we are all stepping in while the feds are not supporting public lands.”
Prochaska asked Catmur that an emphasis be placed on public outreach by the seasonal crew, especially to people improperly using public lands.
Catmur said Quinn of the Forest Service would be open to including such stewardship as an element of the crew’s work. “We are also working on a messaging campaign to make people aware of what the local community is doing to step up,” he said.
“This has been a developing trainwreck,” said mayor Ian Billick. “If we don’t take some ownership with the local public lands, it just won’t happen. My big concern this summer is fire. A lot of counties are already talking about implementing a total fire ban this summer given the circumstances. If our area suffers from a wildfire or a lot of smoke from nearby fires, our sales tax will plummet. We rely on public lands for the people who visit. So, $10,000 doesn’t feel bad to me.
“I’m not sure what the world will look like after this year,” Billick continued. “The county is having to make up a lot of funding from cuts to health and human services. This feels totally appropriate to me.”
“I feel like MetRec should be putting more into it,” said councilmember Beth Goldstone. “They are putting $1 million into a turf field but given the foundation of how many people here use the outdoors to recreate, to not cover the $60,000 for this dismays me a bit.”
MetRec executive director Derrick Nehrenberg said the board members discussed the issue at length and they felt like STOR was a better home for the initiative and a community drive would have more impact. “The board preferred there be a broader community effort and it not just be coming from STOR and MetRec,” he said.
Billick said his understanding was that STOR asked MetRec to let STOR take the lead on outdoor, backcountry recreation.
“In my opinion, it might be time for MetRec to pivot and look at outdoor recreation that will be used a lot more than the turf field,” said Goldstone.
Councilmember Kent Cowherd asked if this was a one-year, stopgap measure.
“There are a lot of unknowns but we don’t think it is a one-time thing,” responded Catmur. “We’re not sure of a good process going forward. There could be a creative solution out there. Some places have specific taxes to address this. An appropriate way forward is something for STOR to look at going forward.”
“The need is probably not going away but we might need to look for a more structural response,” summarized Billick.
“The collective community has been doing this work for years,” added STOR member Jake Jones. “This is one more drop of sand. The precedent has been set and we have stepped up by paying for local trails and backcountry crews. I’m not sure what a permanent solution will be. We have also talked about MetRec responsibilities stopping at the trailheads.”
“We are surrounded by forest and that makes us vulnerable,” said councilmember Anna Fenerty. “People will see a difference this summer. And to be honest, we are still at risk even hiring these four people.”
“It’s not perfect but we can be right or we can be happy. Happy is probably better for the community,” said Crested Butte recreation, open space, and trails supervisor Joey Carpenter.
“There is nothing more important than having boots on the ground,” added CBMBA executive director Dave Ochs. “We can have a philosophical discussion but without boots on the ground the local Forest Service will suffer. We need these four experienced people out there this year. I think we have an obligation as a community. If we don’t do this, we are only cutting our own hamstrings here. The support from Crested Butte means a lot.”
The council voted 7-0 to allocate the requested $10,000 for salaries.
Catmur said he has “put the ask out to all of the groups represented on STOR except the federal agencies” and is waiting for formal responses from them. He said he hopes to hear from them by the end of the month.
The $60,000 will pay for 14 weeks of work starting on Memorial Day weekend.
