PUBLIC LANDS

THE WESTERN SLOPE IS A SPECIAL PLACE.

Our public lands and waters are the Western Slope’s greatest assets. Our livelihoods have been built on the availability of clean water, healthy forests, rich geology, and fertile soils. As our traditional economies have been supplemented by industries like organic farming, recreation, and tourism, our public lands and waters continue to support our way of life. The Conservation Center is dedicated to protecting and enhancing these resources to ensure that the Lower Gunnison Watershed remains healthy and intact for generations to come.

Explore your local public lands through Mike's Hikes!

We offer hikes for a range of abilities from April-October. Sign up or find out more here.

The Western Slope Conservation Center has worked for over 40 years to ensure the health of and access to our local public lands. The following are issues and campaigns we are currently addressing.

USFS FOREST PLAN REVISION

Working with United States Forest Service

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests are a combination of separate National Forests located on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies. These three combined Forests cover 3,161,900 acres of public land in the central and southern Rocky Mountains.

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GUNNISON PUBLIC LANDS INITIATIVE

Working to protect our public lands now for future generations

Gunnison County offers beautiful landscapes, fabulous recreation, clean water, and majestic wildlife. The Gunnison Public Lands Initiative is a a coalition of community…

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BLM RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN

Take Action with Us!

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a sprawling resource management plan for 567,000 acres of its public land, mostly in scattered parcels along the Colorado and Eagle rivers, but also in the valley between Aspen and Glenwood Springs.

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COLORADO OUTDOOR RECREATION & ECONOMY (CORE) ACT

Help us create permanent protections for public lands

The CORE Act would provide for about 400,000 acres of public lands protections across the state, including having about 200,000 acres in the Thompson Divide and Kebler Pass region withdrawn from mineral development, permanently. See how you can show your support…

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BEETLE KILL & ASPEN DECLINE

Spruce Beetles & Aspen Decline Have Been Devastating

A combination of warm winters and low precipitation has proven deadly for many of our tree species and proven devastating.Within the last decade, these forests and many others have been under attack from a variety of insects and diseases.

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