Public Land Mgmt

El Primer Mapa Bilingüe De Senderismo de Colorado Es Un Gran Éxito This article first appear in our Winter 2023 issue of Wild Works. Este verano, el programa Defiende Nuestra Tierra de Wilderness Workshop publicó el primer mapa bilingüe para explorar tierras públicas en el estado de Colorado. Con una versión en línea y 1,500 (y contando) copias impresas de 'El Camino Latino' ya distribuidas, el ob- jetivo principal del mapa es conectar a la comunidad la- tina con las hermosas tierras públicas que nos rodean.   El mapa es parte de nuestra visión más amplia para asegurar que [...]

Wilderness Workshop crea un nuevo paradigma en la gestión del BLM This article first appear in our Winter 2023 issue of Wild Works. In respuesta a dos demandas presentadas por Wilderness Workshop y nuestros socios, la Oficina de Administración de Tier- ras (BLM, por sus siglas en inglés) está desarrollando dos nuevos planes de gestión en el oeste de Colorado que determinarán cómo se gestionarán 2 millones de acres de tierras públicas y minerales en las próximas decadas. Si bien aún es un bosquejo, las nuevas alternativas en consideración repre- sentan un cambio radical en la forma en [...]

2023 Summer Events Recap This article first appear in our Winter 2023 issue of Wild Works. Independence Pass Snow Fence Removal Restoration Project This past summer, Wilderness Workshop teamed up with the Independence Pass Foundation to continue work that has been done over the past decades to remove sections of an experimental snow fence that was abandoned in the 1960’s. The snow fence was originally installed in an attempt to capture more winter snow and increase the spring run-off. This experiment was unsuccessful, and the infrastructure was abandoned along the continental divide. Volunteers removed a series of corrugated steel panels [...]

Colorado’s First Bilingual Hiking Map a Major Success This article first appear in our Winter 2023 issue of Wild Works. This summer, Wilderness Workshop’s Defiende Nuestra Tierra program published the first bi-lingual map for exploring public lands in the state of Colorado. With an online version and 1,500 (and counting) print copies of the Camino Latino already distributed, the main goal of the map is to connect the Latino community with the beautiful public lands that surround all of us. The map is part of our larger vision to ensure everyone in our community feels welcome on public lands and [...]

Remembering Jill Soffer This article first appear in our Winter 2023 issue of Wild Works. With deep sadness we remember Jill Soffer, who passed away from cancer on October 3rd. Jill had a profound impact on Wilderness Workshop since joining our board in 2016. Jill saw the potential for our organization and pushed us to lean into that potential and take the steps–sometimes difficult ones–she believed were necessary to achieve our mission. Jill was a dedicated conservationist and philanthropist working to protect our public lands, climate and planet. Her service to WW was nested into her larger work, [...]

We’re Almost There–Let’s Unify for Thompson Divide Editor's note: Since this article was published in our winter newsletter, the Forest Service released a draft plan that would protect the Thompson Divide from future oil and gas leases for the next 20 years. View the press release here.   This winter, the Forest Service is expected to release a draft environmental assessment regarding a proposed 20-year moratorium on future oil and gas leasing for the Thompson Divide. As you may know, the Divide is a 225,000-acre swath of public lands stretching south from Glenwood Springs through the Sunlight Ski Resort, [...]

Wilderness Workshop Creates a New Paradigm in BLM Management This article first appear in our Winter 2023 issue of Wild Works   In response to two lawsuits filed by Wilderness Workshop and our partners, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is developing two new management plans in Western Colorado that will determine how 2 million acres of public lands and minerals will be managed for decades to come. While still a draft, the new alternatives under consideration for the plans represent a sea-change in how the BLM manages our public lands. Instead of the historical practice of opening the [...]

The Crystal: It’s Time to Protect One of the West’s Last Free-Flowing Rivers This article first appear in our Winter 2023 issue of Wild Works   Originating in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness and merging with the Roaring Fork River in Carbondale, the pristine waters and surrounding lands of the Crystal create one of the most picturesque valleys in Western Colorado. The upper Crystal is an intact ecosystem sustained by annual spring runoff with flushing flows along the banks and saturated riparian wetlands. This seasonal runoff is a unique feature in the West, as so many rivers have been dammed, [...]