The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
CPW says ongoing development is diminishing wildlife habitat in the area
[ By Katherine Nettles ]
The initial county review for the controversial Wandering Willows project proposal for a large 10,000 square foot home with several outbuildings located up the Slate River Valley is requiring a revision of the plans submitted to meet the threshold of an administrative review and alerting the builder that wildlife impacts could influence the ultimate approval decision by the county.
In a June 22 letter to Ben Somrak of Somrak Concept and Structure, Gunnison County director of community and economic development Cathie Pagano said the county had determined the plans as originally submitted exceeded the total 12,500 square feet allowed for an administrative review. If a proposal exceeds that threshold the project would be required to go through the Minor Impact Land Use Change permit process which is normally a more detailed and more public process. It was her understanding that Somrak is currently revising the plans but if that didn’t happen, the project would be bumped up to the next review level.
The Wandering Willows building permit application was submitted earlier this summer and has a site plan for a 9,984-square-foot home and 2,189-square-foot detached garage for an aggregate square footage of 12,173 square feet plus a 300-square-foot greenhouse on one 43-acre parcel. The property is located on an 80 acre lot on County Road 734 (Slate River Road).
In the same letter, Pagano informed Somrak that the plans had been referred to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife office to garner comments on the project’s potential impact on nearby wildlife. She made it clear that the county requires a developer to mitigate adverse impacts it causes to lands determined to be sensitive wildlife habitat.
“Please propose mitigation that addresses the comments of CPW and complies with the (county) standards,” Pagano wrote Somrak. “You may want to utilize your current consultant, Bio-Logic, Inc. to develop proposed mitigation. I recommend that you also consult with CPW to identify mitigation efforts that may be satisfactory. It may also be beneficial to contact the Crested Butte Land Trust to identify any areas where you may collaborate and work together to support wildlife in the area.”
Area Wildlife Manager Brandon Diamond officially commented on the project on June 17 and concluded that individually and as part of an ongoing development trend, it may lead to smaller and lower quality wildlife habitat in the area. The applicant will need to respond to these conclusions.
CPW comments
Diamond described the site as being on the 100-year floodplain of the Slate River, and providing “habitat for elk, black bear, mule deer, moose, striped skunks, red fox, coyotes and an occasional mountain lion, along with numerous other small mammals, as well as nesting and foraging habitat for many bird species.
“The river and its margins provide habitat for fish, beaver, mink and aquatic bird species including Canada geese, ducks and a few shorebird species. A Great Blue Heron Rookery lies just over a half mile to the northwest.”
CPW concluded that the property is outside the range of the Gunnison sage grouse, a federally listed endangered species with habitat in other areas of Gunnison County. “The Slate River corridor does provide security cover and habitat for riparian-dependent bird species including Great Blue Herons,” wrote Diamond, who said the large footprint of the proposed project could negatively impact the Great Blue Heron rookery located just upstream of the project site.
“While strides have been made to decrease the impacts of recreation on the birds, the future of this unique high elevation rookery remains uncertain. The large footprint of this proposed development may result in future habitat loss, and contribute an additive disturbance for this colony of herons,” concluded Diamond.
Another consideration for the site was elk habitat, calving grounds and migration paths, which have been under study.
“Elk numbers in this [area] are at or near objective and population trends are stable. While the wetlands surrounding the project site provide summer and fall habitat, as well as providing calving grounds for a small number of elk, the primary value of the area over time has been as a migration corridor for elk moving between summer and winter ranges. During some years, as many as 200-300 elk congregate in the Slate River floodplain and adjacent hills prior to migrating through the increasingly developed, narrowing gap between Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.
“However, it is important to note that not all elk summering north of Crested Butte use the Slate River corridor during their migrations. In fact, data from radio-collared animals indicate that elk may already be favoring less developed routes through the East River valley or west of Crested Butte in the Ohio Pass/Carbon Creek corridor. Development of this parcel may not completely preclude elk from passage through the Slate River valley, however it will add one more obstacle for animals to overcome. Past, present and future development will continue to influence ungulate passage through the upper Slate River corridor,” concluded Diamond.
Diamond went on to recommend special care for trash management and storage within the project site due to black bear concerns. He also recommended avoiding the use of bird feeders as bear attractants, and advised that cats and dogs present a threat to wildlife.
“Property owners should consult the Natural Resource Conservation Service to determine the carrying capacity of their land if they intend to raise livestock, horses or other grazing animals. CPW recommends that only certified weed free forage be used, and when possible, areas disturbed by construction should be re-vegetated as soon as possible with native plant species to avoid proliferation of noxious weeds. Fences should be minimized to facilitate wildlife movements, optimize habitat availability and reduce wildlife mortality.”
Diamond concluded that because the proposed project site occurs within mapped wildlife habitat, “CPW recommends consideration of the issues and mitigation measures outlined in this letter.
“However, it’s also important to point out that neighboring private and public lands have experienced ongoing human development and increased human use over the last several decades, cumulatively diminishing the overall quantity and functionality of wildlife habitat in the area. A residence exists on this property currently; a larger development footprint paired with increased human occupancy and activity is likely to increase the level of disturbance to wildlife and direct habitat loss in the area. There are also a number of undeveloped parcels of private land in the surrounding area, posing an unknown human development potential.
“Therefore, future habitat loss and fragmentation may continue to occur ancillary to this particular development. For species like elk, as one example, the future of the Slate River valley as a migration corridor and/or seasonal habitat will depend on the cumulative impacts of human development and land use now and into the future. As the Gunnison Basin continues to be developed and human use of the landscape increases, habitat available for wildlife is incrementally lost, and conflicts will increase. The effects of habitat loss are cumulative, and should be considered as such.”
Pagano confirmed that the next step is for the applicant to respond “and demonstrate compliance with county standards. There is no public hearing as part of a building permit process.”
County looking at maximum house size, collaboration with CPW
The Gunnison County Planning Commission met on June 18 to discuss the county commissioners’ recent decision to explore lowering the maximum house size allowed within the county before a more extensive review is triggered. The planning commission is now working toward a recommendation for county commissioners to consider as an amendment to the LUR, but did not discuss a building moratorium for any areas of the county.
“Impacts to wildlife are part of a larger conversation at the county level relative to development, recreation and tourism and how to balance each of those interests while also protecting wildlife habitat. We have an excellent relationship with CPW and I see opportunities for us to increase our collaboration to protect sensitive wildlife habitat areas,” Pagano wrote in an email to the Crested Butte News after the meeting.
Pagano said that her conversations with CPW staff “indicate that recreation (winter and summer), existing residential development, the traffic on the [Slate River] road and other uses in the area all impact wildlife.”
