BLM to change dispersed camping in CO??

[unreng]

https://www.sharetrails.org/action-center/#/33

The Bureau of Land Management in Colorado is updating their travel and camping management plans in Chaffee County. BRC supports access to public lands and implementing these will restrict where users can go and what they can do. They are proposing "Camping concentration areas" and many road closures. At this point there are no acceptable alternatives, and they will all significantly reduce free, dispersed camping and other forms of recreation access. Comments are due by Jan 31st.

Image from the campaign:


Dispersed camping alliance:
https://www.sharetrails.org/camp-fre...ersed-camping/

BLM website:
https://www.blm.gov/press-release/bl...chaffee-county

CANON CITY, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office is accepting public comments on dispersed camping and travel management planning on BLM public lands in Chaffee County.

“Recreation use, especially dispersed camping, has increased dramatically in recent years,” said Royal Gorge Field Office Manager Keith Berger. “This increase in use has resulted in a multitude of issues, such as vegetation and habitat loss, erosion, and sanitation impacts, which all affect people’s recreation experiences and our ability to meet our multiple use mandate.”

Input is being sought on alternatives for camping and travel management on approximately 38,000 acres of BLM public land in Chaffee County where camping demand has increased in the past decade. The alternatives outline various scenarios, based on both public and BLM resource specialist input, for managing camping within the planning area. These alternatives include monitoring as well as various adaptive management strategies that the agency can employ if demand and issues continue to increase.

The most useful comments would provide the BLM with input on the alternatives outlined in the document and identify resources and issues of concern that should be considered for detailed analysis in the environmental assessment. The BLM is initiating this effort based on concerns identified by BLM resource specialists, public land users and neighbors to public lands. This planning effort is in alignment with Chaffee County’s Recreation in Balance” group and is also being coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Additional information is available and public input will be accepted through the project’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-...ct/2012291/510. Additional questions can be directed to Kalem Lenard, Assistant Field Manager at 719-433-8486 or jlenard@blm.gov. Comments will be accepted through January 31, 2022.

Wonder if this is similar to the issues at Alabama Hills? https://www.blm.gov/visit/alabama-hills

[eddyturn]

Too many people in a too popular area leaving too much poo and trash everywhere. Gotta do something since they don't have the budget for any enforcement. Sucks.

[86Scotty]

Bye bye Moab. Better enjoy it while you can. I know Moab isn't in Colorado but if you've been in recent years you've probably noticed that the one camper out on the beautiful desert horizon has become 300.

[simplesez]

This spot they are talking about isn't in the middle of nowhere. It is the Arkansas River valley with Buena Vista and Salida area included. Camping is available in the area in numerous designated camp locations. The dispersed camping areas are trashed and changing them to dedicated sites is working much better in locations like Crested Butte and Moab. So that group can protest all they want but we want these trashy people to get with the program or GTFO. I'm tired of cleaning up campsites abandoned with literally human shit left behind.

[eddyturn]

They have a rule in areas west of Moab for campers to have portable or permanent toilets but nobody to ever check on that. Boot campers out that don't have them per the posted (in small print on a generic BLM sign that nobody stops to read) rules and regulations. Had a former great spot that was easy for the van but one needed high clearance to get in. Lots of room to camp for multiple parties. My formerly favorite spot in that area was covered in poo and paper all over the slick rock last time I looked at that spot. Nope. Stupid people, just bury it already. You don't have to put your poo on public display.

As for the formerly challenging entry and exit for this group of spots - idiots just drove through the brush and desert to get around the high clearance areas. Screw them. They mess it up for all.

[clicker44]

Sad to see. Anything that technology "disrupts" gets ruined. All of this madness is a direct result of iOverlander and all of the other various "apps" where people "crowdsource" where to camp.

[Jeffrey]

Root cause: Population growth wildly out of control. That is the fundamental issue with most all of our country's and the world's woes. Oh, and a huge percentage of them are ****ing idiots.

[86Scotty]

I'm with @jeffrey.

[Dlsinak]

Don't kid yourself. Individuals in the government are trying to eliminate public access to all public lands.



Don't take my word for it, do your research!



I know this because I met the Alaska State Commissioner for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).


It is absolutely wrong what they are trying (going) to do.



Most people are unaware of the crap that is going on.


Become informed! You can subscribe to notifications.



https://www.federalregister.gov/


If you ignore these issues, everyone will lose.

[daveb]

Unfortunately dispersed spots in my area (mostly NPS) have been shut down due to idiots trashing an area. This has been going on for quite a while. But some of the agencies are also shutting down sparsely used spots that are as clean as they were 40 years ago. As long as gov agencies don't overreact to specific areas with trouble, and leave the lightly used areas alone, I don't have an issue adding some restrictions to those problem areas. Yet what I'm seeing are a few impacted area effecting an entire jurisdiction. In the lesser effected areas, I'm against is packing everybody into a tight campground-like group or limiting how far off the trail you can camp. I don't what to be so close I can hear snoring from my neighbor (or them hear me) but I also don't need to be very far off the route to make camp; just enough to get some privacy is fine. But shoving me right on the trail where every type of motorized vehicle driving by dusts me out, or being forced into making camp in a sardine can is not what I'm looking for when boon docking. It's what I hate about most of the methods NFS, NPS and others seem to employ. I use the backcountry to get some space between people. I also don't understand taking once rough forest service roads and paving or grading them so any car can get in. Spots that once took hours to get to due to rough terrain can now be reached quickly by almost any 2wd car. I've noticed over the years this has had a huge negative environmental impact. I agree with Jeffery that this is a people generated problem but I have reservations how some of this is dealt with. It's been a source of many of my campfire conversations over the last 40 years and I still seem to see the same results. An area trashed, whole zones effected rather than the specific problem sites, and an excuse that lack of funding or agency manpower dictates making negative restrictions in regard to how dispersed camping was allowed in the past.