BLM releases proposed plan for Upper Colorado River
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KREMMLING, Colo. – Today the Bureau of Land Management released a preliminary plan for public review designed to better manage about 40 miles of the Upper Colorado River between Parshall and State Bridge.
The BLM is updating the Recreation Area Management Plan for the Upper Colorado River Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) within the Kremmling Field Office, an extremely popular area for commercial and private float-boating and fishing. More than 90,000 people visit the area each year.
“We are updating our management of this stretch of river to better meet the demands of current and future recreational use,” said Kremmling Field Manager Bill Mills. “Recreation is an important economic driver in this area, and we want to continue to manage this as one of the premiere river recreation resources in the state.”
Under the proposed plan, camping would be limited to designated sites along the river. These sites would be available for reservation and a camping fee would apply. This would help provide certainty for river users hoping to camp, and would lessen the impacts along the river.
Additionally, the current parking fee to access the river would be replaced with an individual day-use permit for all river users from April 1 to Oct. 31. These individual day-use permits would help the BLM better track river usage and would help ensure river users are aware of specific river guidelines. The number of day-use permits would be unlimited.
The BLM expects to make a final decision on the plan in the summer of 2019. Before a new fee structure could be implemented, the BLM would develop a business plan detailing proposed fees and expected revenues, which will be made available for public review. Changes to recreation fees must also be approved by the Northwest Resource Advisory Council, a 15-member citizen advisory board. If approved, the BLM anticipates implementing the new fee structure in the 2021 season.
The preliminary environmental assessment of the proposal is available at: http://bit.ly/2w1hxxy.
Comments must be received by March 23, 2019 and may be e-mailed to blm_co_kr_webmail@blm.gov or mailed to Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Shane Dittlinger, P.O. Box 68, Kremmling, CO 80459.
The BLM Kremmling Field Office collected more than $220,000 in commercial and recreation fees from the Upper Colorado River SRMA last year. These funds are used to manage the SRMA. Recreation on BLM lands in the Kremmling Field Office supports an estimated 280 jobs generating $8.4 million in labor income annually.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
-BLM-
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.