By Derek Padilla
Dolores District Ranger, San Juan National Forest
Thank you to everyone who participated in the stakeholder process over the summer to help lay the groundwork for our upcoming Rico-West Dolores travel planning effort to determine the best mix of recreational uses for roads and trails in that area. The stakeholder interviews, public workshops and county commissioner meetings have helped us go beyond standard public involvement to better involve the community and better inform the agency as we head into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.
I think everyone agrees that the Rico-West Dolores area of the San Juan National Forest is a very special place that deserves careful attention. It’s a large landscape of spectacular scenery covering more than 240,000 acres of high country, stretching from Lone Cone to Bolam Pass and the La Plata Mountains.
When folks in Cortez and Dolores want to “head for the mountains,” this is often where they go. You can’t beat the scenery along the West Dolores Road, Meadows Road, and Scotch and Barlow Creek roads. The headwaters of the Dolores River are here. And the backcountry is accessible by great backcountry trails, such as Calico, Priest Gulch, Fish Creek, and Bear Creek. People enjoy the area in many ways, including horseback riding, hiking, fishing and motorcycling.
It’s now time for the official NEPA analysis for the Rico-West Dolores landscape to begin, and the first step, as always, is to ask what you think. We have released a Proposed Action as a starting point for public review and comment. It proposes designated uses for specific roads and trails, and types of wheeled motor access and seasons of use. The Proposed Action was developed by an interdisciplinary team of Forest Service staff incorporating field work, previous public and stakeholder input, local government coordination, and expert knowledge.
The comment period runs from Dec. 12, 2014, to Jan. 30, 2015. To answer questions about the Proposed Action and accept comments, we will hold a public open house from 4–7 p.m. at the Dolores Community Center on Thursday, January 15, 2015.
The Dolores Ranger District will use public comments to refine the current proposal and create alternative courses of action to be considered. Your comments will be most helpful if they are specifically relevant to Rico/West Dolores Travel Management, include detailed concerns, and are received by January 30, 2015.
You can send comments to: Derek Padilla, District Ranger, Dolores Ranger District, 29211 Highway 184, Dolores, CO 81323, or by email to NEPA Coordinator Debbie Kill at: dkill@fs.fed.us. You can also comment via an electronic comment form available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php?project=44918
In the meantime, please feel free to pick up copies of the Proposed Action here at the Dolores Public Lands Office, 29211 Highway 145, or to contact Debbie Kill by phone or email. The Proposed Action document and associated maps are posted at the web site address listed above.
Public comments received during this initial NEPA scoping period will help develop alternatives to the Proposed Action. The next formal public period will occur when the alternatives (including a comparison of each) are described in a draft environmental analysis, which we expect to complete late next summer. In addition, between the current scoping period and the next formal comment period on the draft document, my staff and I will be available for meetings, field trips, or office visits.
We appreciate your interest in providing valuable information to help us make decisions that will enhance public use and enjoyment of the Rico-West Dolores landscape, as well as sustain the natural resource values of the area that make it such a special place to visit.
My staff and I are always available to answer questions by appointment at the Dolores Public Lands Office, or by phone or email. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about the process or the project. Thank you.