Log In


Reset Password
Columnists View from the Center Bear Smart The Travel Troubleshooter Dear Abby Student Aide Of Sound Mind Others Say Powerful solutions You are What You Eat Out Standing in the Fields What's up in Durango Skies Watch Yore Topknot Local First RE-4 Education Update MECC Cares for kids

Believe me, Hermosa bill amendment needed

When I introduced the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act in May of last year, I did so because the effort was community-driven and the goals outlined in it – protecting both the land and multiple use of the land for future generations – were fully supported by a broad coalition of local stakeholders.

As we worked in the House to advance this legislation, it became clear that some of the language in the initial draft needed to be clarified to ensure that those community goals would be carried out – without risk of misinterpretation once the bill became law.

After the conclusion of the community stakeholder process and introduction of the bill in the House, the Bureau of Land Management announced the imminent closure of the Molas Pass Wilderness Study Area adjacent to Hermosa to all motorized usage, based on changes in BLM management of WSA areas.

This closure would result in the loss of several snowmobile rental businesses based on Molas Pass and would be devastating to the local economy.

There was no support for the closure of Molas Pass, even from traditional opponents of motorized recreation, due to the long history of motorized usage and heavy reliance of the economies of local communities on winter motorized usage of the area. Yet, the BLM subsequently released a final Resource Management Plan for the area, identifying Molas Pass as currently closed to motorized usage under all alternatives and committed to permanent closure of the area to dispersed snowmobile usage and permitted grooming.

As a result of the BLM’s actions, the language in the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act would need to be clarified and strengthened in order to ensure that there would be no ambiguity for federal land management agencies to close down the area to snowmobiling, as the BLM intends to do against the community’s wishes.

We worked with the impacted community stakeholders to craft an amendment to ensure this legislation still accomplishes all of the stakeholders’ original goals, and that there would be no question of the bill’s intent. This amendment, supported by stakeholders who helped craft the original bill, in no way changed the outcome of the legislation’s goals agreed upon by all of those who have been engaged throughout this entire process.

After the markup of the legislation, Scott Jones of the Colorado Snowmobile Association spoke to the clarifying amendment, saying, “The revised bill is critical to the protection of snowmobile usage on Molas Pass, as the original version of the legislation – drafted in May 2013 – fails to address management changes arbitrarily made by the BLM in their planning process and not released to the public until September 2013. This amended bill is a win-win for conservationists, recreationalists, the businesses and the entire community, and we remain fully supportive.”

It’s important to note that leading up to the bill’s introduction, the portion of the legislation that was community-driven pertained to the protection of the Hermosa Creek Watershed area. Under the amended version of the bill, all of the major wilderness and conservation provisions remain intact. The bill designates 37,735 acres of wilderness (an increase of 499 acres from the original version) and 68,289 acres under special management protections.

The land conservation protections in the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act are iron-clad, and now under the amended version, the language for limited recreational access is equally strong, and no longer open to misinterpretation or arbitrary land-management decisions of regional BLM officials.

For those who want permanent wilderness and land protections, they are in the bill. And for those who want continued responsible multiple use of the land, they are in there, too. This is a win-win for all involved, and all community groups get everything they wanted from the very beginning.

Because of how critical this issue is to the economic health and future of communities in the region, we believed that it was important to do everything possible to advance the bill, which is why we aggressively pushed to get it through committee and will continue to work to get it through the House. We are hopeful that Sen. Michael Bennet is able to do the same in the Senate.

This week’s markup is not the end of the process or conversation, nor will House passage be. Once we have bills passed through both the House and Senate, should there be any differences, we can come together in conference to work them out and get this signed into law for the people of Southwest Colorado.

Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, represents Colorado’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Reach his Durango office at (970) 259-1490.



Reader Comments