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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management has acquired the 177-acre Crow Bottom parcel of land to expand access to recreation opportunities and conserve wildlife habitat along the Colorado River in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, west of Grand Junction.

The Crow Bottom parcel, one of the last inholdings in the national conservation area, has 1.5 miles of shoreline along the Colorado River and will provide additional public access for camping, boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, and picnicking. Funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund allowed the BLM to acquire the parcel.

“This acquisition continues the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area tradition of local partners coming together to protect one of Colorado’s truly remarkable landscapes,” said Jamie Connell, BLM Colorado State Director. “On behalf of BLM, I want to thank all of the partners involved in the continued enhancement of this public land.”

"Public lands, such as the Crow Bottom parcel, are one of the greatest legacies we can leave our children,”

stated BLM National Conservation Area Manager Collin Ewing. “This acquisition will allow the BLM to protect the river corridor and provide public access and recreation opportunities for generations to come."

 “The Colorado River as it flows through McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area is a national treasure of Colorado and the West,” said Christine Quinlan of The Conservation Fund’s Colorado office, which supported BLM in the acquisition. “We appreciate the leadership of the BLM, Colorado’s Congressional delegation, and local supporters to safeguard these public lands and the significant benefits they provide. Conserving the Crow Bottom parcel will boost the local outdoor recreation economy and serve a diversity of users and outdoor education groups.”

"Colorado Parks and Wildlife is excited to see the conservation of riparian wildlife habitat,” stated Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager Kirk Oldham. “McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area and the Colorado River are home to a diverse amount of wildlife and provide excellent hunting and fishing opportunities."

BLM has also opened trails 734 and 741A to a parking area at the property boundary providing access for walk-in hunting, fishing, and picnicking. These trails are four-wheel drive trails and are only accessible by high clearance vehicles, mountain bikes, and all-terrain vehicles.

The national conservation area, spanning 123,000 acres adjacent to Fruita, is a recreation destination drawing visitors to the world-class mountain biking on Mack Ridge and along the 142-mile Kokopelli trail, which extends to Moab, Utah. Twenty-five miles of the Colorado River wind their way through the national conservation area, attracting boaters of all abilities for trips through the spectacular multi-hued sandstone canyons. Among its unique natural resources are the more than 75,000 acres of the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, which includes the second-largest concentration of natural arches in North America, along with multiple pictograph and petroglyph sites.

This conservation project will support a multitude of nationally significant resources, including designated critical habitat for four federally endangered fish species and mature cottonwood stands for bald eagle nesting. 

-BLM-