Gunnison Field Office pauses issuing Special Recreation Permits pending completion of programmatic environmental assessment

GUNNISON, Colo. – The BLM Gunnison Field Office will pause the issuance of new Special Recreation Permits (SRP) while the office undertakes a programmatic environmental assessment (EA) intended to increase the efficiency of administering permitted activities. The SRP program is a valuable permitting tool that enables the BLM to offer the public sustainable recreation opportunities on public lands via outdoor professional service providers while achieving resource management objectives under the BLM’s multiple use mission.

The Gunnison Field Office manages one of BLM Colorado’s largest special recreation programs on public lands also managed to sustain habitat for the federally listed Gunnison sage-grouse and protect over 120,000 acres of wilderness. The field office welcomes more than one and a half million visitors each year to Gunnison, Hinsdale, Saguache, and San Juan counties. Local outfitters, guides, event hosts, and academic institutions play a significant role in helping the BLM serve the recreation economies of local gateway communities and visitors from both near and far.

“Outdoor recreation opportunities in the Gunnison Field Office range from backyard to backcountry,” said Gunnison Field Manager Jon Kaminsky. “Special recreation permits provide invaluable economic opportunities in our local community while promoting responsible recreation among visitors.”

To effectively manage this large program, the BLM will formulate a programmatic EA to guide decision making, with the goal of establishing a Gunnison Field Office SRP policy that provides protection protocols for permitting in and around Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas and Gunnison sage-grouse habitat. The programmatic EA is intended to:
•    Improve the BLM’s ability to efficiently complete environmental reviews by grouping applications for similar activities and areas
•    Account for changing conditions for special status species
•    Ensure fair and consistent treatment of all applicants, given increasing demands for similar services and areas of operation
•    Enable the BLM to continue effective management of commercial recreation, competitive events, and organized group activities.

The field office will not issue new SRPs until the programmatic EA has been completed and the decision issued. Any applications received during this period would be denied. The BLM will issue an announcement when permitting opportunities reopen. The action does not affect current SRP holders. Potential recreation service providers can still submit requests for a pre-application meeting by email to blm_co_gu_srp@blm.gov.

More information on the BLM SRP program is available at https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/special-recreation-permits.
Discover all the recreation opportunities the BLM offers at www.blm.gov/visit.