We are lucky to be surrounded by one of the largest National Forest units in the continental United States. The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forest spans 3.2 million acres, and contains some of the most spectacular scenery, critical habitats, and beautiful recreational areas in the country. Many of the forest’s ecosystems and high biodiversity areas are protected as wilderness or by other land designations. Under the 2024 revised forest plan, 19% of the GMUG is protected as wilderness, less than 3% as Recommended Wilderness, and more than one-quarter of the GMUG — 823,000 acres – as Wildlife Management Areas. However, there is still much work to be done to further protect the conservation and climate values of this landscape.
On July 14, 2024, the USDA Forest Service’s (USFS) Final Revised Land Management Plan for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests went into effect. The prior GMUG Forest Plan, which had been frequently amended and modified over the years, was first finalized in 1983!
The final revised plan is intended to guide management decisions for the next 15-20 years, across more than 3.2 million acres of the GMUG National Forests in southwestern Colorado, including many of this area’s most iconic peaks and favorite trails.
The planning process for a new forest plan began in 2017, and the working draft was released in 2019. On August 13, 2021, the U.S. Forest Service released for public comment its much-anticipated draft revised forest plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The final plan, final EIS and draft Record of Decision were published for a 60-day objections filing period on August 30, 2023.
The Western Slope Conservation Center (WSCC), our members, and Coalition Partners provided substantive comments and engaged directly with USFS throughout this more than seven year process. Overall, the USFS received almost 20,000 public comments.
One of the top priorities for WSCC and our members was advocating for additional Recommended Wilderness in areas surrounding the North Fork Valley. Wilderness areas provide primitive recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, and help protect clean water resources. Thanks in part to WSCC’s efforts, the final revised plan now includes 68,000 acres of Recommended Wilderness!
Read WSCC’s blog on the Final GMUG plan.
GMUG plan includes new river protections.
GMUG Wildlife Management Areas provide a template for other forest plans.
For years, WSCC, other conservation organizations, local stakeholders, and members of the public have worked to identify places within the GMUG National Forest boundaries that deserve special protections. The result was a Community Conservation Proposal that recommends new Wilderness and Special Management Areas throughout the GMUG National Forest. The Community Proposal was considered by USFS as an alternative during the forest planning process. Although WSCC advocated for much larger areas of protection, which unfortunately were not included in this final Management Plan, protections for many areas are a welcome addition to the final plan and a direct product of WSCC involved efforts.
The forest plan makes decisions for where new wilderness areas may be recommended, where commercial logging will and will not be allowed and how much volume can be cut, the intensity of recreation use on the forest, how the forest will contribute to climate change avoidance and adaptation, how wildlife will be protected, and so much more.
The Forest Service publishes all comments received on the draft plan to their reading room, unless otherwise specified by commenters. The link above will bring you to that page, where you can browse and search through submitted comments on all versions of the plan.
WSCC worked with a group of other environmental and non-profit organizations to read and respond to the draft plan. In doing so, we supported the inclusion of the Community Conservation Proposal, Gunnison Public Lands Initiative, and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act in the final plan. We also advocated for additional protections for wildlife, Wilderness, and water.
WSCC staff also teamed up with Wilderness Workshop to submit supplemental comments advocating for additional protections for wildlands in the North Fork Valley.
After many years of work, the Objections process provided a final opportunity for WSCC and our coalition partners to advocate for changes to the final plan. Only those having commented earlier in the revisions process may file objections.