Western Slope Communities Support Conservation Management on 2 Million Acres of BLM Land
November 10, 2023 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact: Francis Sanzaro, Communications Director at Wilderness Workshop, francis@wildernessworkshop.org, Erin Riccio, Wilderness Workshop Advocacy Director, erin@wildernessworkshop.org; 720-470-7580 (Cell); Scott Braden, Colorado Wildlands Project Director, scott@cowildlands.org; 720-530-7473 (Cell).
CARBONDALE, CO – Coloradans, business leaders and counties on the Western Slope have recently shown overwhelming support for management of nearly 2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land that scales up conservation while scaling down climate pollution.
The support came in the form of a preference for Alternative F in the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for BLM’s management plans for the Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction Field Offices. The draft provides increased protections for public lands and closures for oil and gas leasing.
In early August, the BLM released a draft analysis considering two new alternatives (E and F) for managing public lands and future leasing in the Grand Junction and Colorado River Valley Field Offices. Each of the new alternatives provides significant new public lands protections and increases the acreage closed to new oil and gas leasing. The alternatives would reduce climate pollution, and scale up wildlands conservation. The alternatives propose thoughtful use of conservation tools, such as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs), and other measures to protect sensitive public lands.
The management plan was open to public comment from August 1st through November 1st.
During the public comment period, Wilderness Workshop and the broader conservation community generated responses from nearly 6,000 community members. Nearly eighty-five businesses and over 25 elected officials on the Western Slope signed letters in support of the proposed closures to new leasing and increased conservation management. Most commenters favored Alternative F among the alternatives being considered by BLM.
“Throughout the comment period, we’ve seen amazing support from local communities for Alternative F, which, more than the others, goes the extra mile to protect wildlands, wildlife, water and our climate. Alternative F considers common-sense closures to new oil and gas leasing of additional public lands with documented community and conservation values,” said Erin Riccio, Advocacy Director at Wilderness Workshop. “We urge the BLM to listen to the voices of community members who participated in this process and provide us with a strong final plan.”
Alternative F offers more extensive conservation measures for sensitive public lands, and proposes to close the most acres to new leasing. Alternative F, while falling short of halting new leasing altogether, provides the most hope that the Biden Administration will do right by our public lands and climate–a win-win for our public lands, wildlife habitat, western communities and Colorado’s future.
“We are pleased to see the BLM propose options like Alternative F, which would help conserve wildlands in some of the most spectacular public lands in Colorado such as the Castle Peak, the Book Cliffs, Upper Colorado River corridor and the Lower Dolores River,” said Scott Braden, Director of Colorado Wildlands Project. “The draft offers encouraging and expanded options for protections, but we will keep up the pressure on BLM to complete a final plan that stewards our wildlands.”
Conservation lays the groundwork for a future, sustainable Western Slope economy wherein oil and gas development peaked in 2012, and has been on the decline since. Only 1% of the region’s workforce is dependent on federal oil and gas production. BLM’s new management plan, in particular Alternative F, has the potential to help ensure we are headed in a more sustainable direction by providing meaningful protection for the assets and values of our public lands in Western Colorado.
“As a public servant in Grand Junction, I am committed to responsible management of our public resources. Protecting the values, recreational opportunities, and public lands that define our region is paramount. By limiting oil and gas leasing we protect the very essence of our community – clean air, clean water, and unparalleled landscapes that contribute to our way of life on the Western Slope,” said Abe Herman, of the Grand Junction City Council. “Enhancing access to these areas ensures that families, hunters, bikers, anglers, and all those who use our public lands can continue to explore and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. Together, we must prioritize a balanced approach that protects our region while supporting sustainable economic growth. By doing so we forge a legacy of stewardship and ensure Mesa County remains a thriving community, and that our surrounding public lands continue to support our way of life.”
“Agriculture on the Western Slope is already in a precarious position with persistent drought and an escalating climate emergency. It’s time to manage our lands, waters and resources for the future, not to prop up status quo industries of the past,” said Pete Kolbenschlag, director, Colorado Farm & Food Alliance. “Conservation of public lands and limiting their use for oil and gas speculation and drilling protects other businesses and public uses, secures public resources, and mitigates against ever-worsening catastrophe. The future of farming, and of all human activity here, now depends on the wise and sustainable management of our critical resources: Alternative F takes a big move in that direction.”
###
Additional resources:
> Reporter Memo
Wilderness Workshop is a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Carbondale, CO, whose mission is to protect the wilderness, water, and wildlife of Western Colorado’s public lands. Learn more at WildernessWorkshop.org
