Community members welcome Senator Bennet’s action on Berlaimont Estates in Edwards, Colo.

Action to prohibit use of federal funding for paved road through National Forest a win for critical wildlife habitat and recreation in Eagle County

Contact: Peter Hart, Wilderness Workshop

peter@wildernessworkshop.org; 303.475.4915

FOR RELEASE: January 14, 2026

Edwards, Colo. – Today, Wilderness Workshop joined community members from across Eagle County, Colo., to celebrate Senator Michael Bennet’s introduction of an amendment to appropriations legislation preventing the use of federal funding for actions related to the permitting, approval, and/or construction of an access road across U.S. Forest Service lands in the White River National Forest. The proposed road is associated with a development proposal that would construct 19 luxury estates, impacting critical elk and deer habitat and highly valued recreation areas on public lands.

Read Senator Bennet’s press release.

Statements from Wilderness Workshop and the Eagle County Community

Peter Hart, Legal Director at Wilderness Workshop
“The access road to Berlaimont Estates, which has faced broad-based opposition from the public, was improperly approved by the Forest Service back in 2023. We immediately filed a lawsuit challenging that decision and that suit remains unresolved. This amendment puts a hold on implementation of the project, which makes good sense. Spending additional taxpayer money on a road project that may be invalidated by a federal judge wastes limited federal resources that should be focused on wildfire mitigation and other higher priorities.”

Bill Heicher, Eagle resident and former district wildlife manager for the State of Colorado
“As a former wildlife manager and 54-year resident of the Eagle Valley, I’ve seen lots of damaging projects rammed through agency approval processes. Berlaimont Estates is more of the same. The severe impacts this development will create include serious wildfire risk, water quantity and quality issues, and wildlife impacts. It will result in the destruction of critical habitats and movement corridors, loss of recreational opportunities, visual blight, and increased demand for more affordable workforce housing to support the multimillion-dollar estates. Instead of the local forest service personnel spending any more time and money on this speculative real estate project, I would hope the forest service that is dealing with limited manpower and severe budget constraints, would address the more serious natural resource concerns on the White River National Forest. I’d like to thank Michael Bennet for his leadership on this.”

 Michael F. Browning, Board Director on behalf of the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance
“The Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance (ESWA) works with the U.S. Forest Service staff in Eagle and Summit Counties to help protect, preserve and maintain wilderness. ESWA has long opposed the Berlaimont Project and efforts to dramatically expand motorized access to this parcel through National Forest lands that provide critical winter range for our declining elk and deer populations. The Forest Service budget and staff have been slashed in recent years, to the point that the remaining staff are unable to fully meet the needs of local National Forest and wilderness users in addition to fighting increasingly dangerous wildfires. This is not the right time to spend valuable agency resources on damaging projects. The local community overwhelmingly opposes the project, including any paved road through sensitive public lands. We thank Senator Bennet for this sensible legislation.”

 Ernest Seager, Executive Director of the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance
“The Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance supports Senator Bennet’s amendment to stop a year-round paved road to Berlaimont. Our previously submitted comments do not support the development nor the building of a paved road that would have significant impacts on existing trails and recreation in the beloved Berry Creek area. We seek to protect the Berry Creek trail system and public access, and to ensure that Forest Service resources remain focused on public recreation infrastructure, wildfire mitigation, and wildlife protection.”

Jessica DiToro, Board President of the Eagle River Coalition
“The Eagle River Coalition is focused on protecting the health of the Upper Colorado River and Eagle River watersheds for the benefit of our communities, recreation economy, wildlife, and downstream water users. Large-scale development in sensitive headwater areas can have long-term impacts on water quality, hydrology, and watershed function, if not carefully evaluated. At a time when Forest Service resources are already stretched thin, it is critical that agency efforts remain focused on projects that serve the broader public interest and protect vital watershed and forest resources.”