Crested Butte Recreation Plan
How is the Center involved?
The Town of Crested Butte is renowned as a year-round outdoor recreation mecca. Nearly every direction you look there are endless opportunities to hike, bike, dirt bike, ski, ride horses, snowmobile, hunt, and fish just out the front door. Most of these outdoor recreation pursuits occur on public lands. This can be an economic boost but can have unintended consequences to the land.
Western Colorado University's Center for Public Lands supports the community of Crested Butte’s efforts to responsibly meet the recreation needs of current and future residents of the region, as well as its visitors. The Center supports this work through visitor use data collection, public input, on-the-ground studies, and open dialogue with local leaders and key stakeholders.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Crested Butte Land Trust (CB Land Trust) had observed a noticeable increase of recreational visitation in the Slate River Valley, northwest of Crested Butte, Colorado. However, these agencies lacked scientifically grounded baseline numbers to help support this assertion.
Master in Environmental Management graduate Brian Lieberman supported the BLM’s need for baseline visitation figures with his Master’s project. Through observational data in summer 2015, infrared technology and surveys, this study developed those numbers for the BLM and the CB Land Trust. Accurate visitation statistics on busy areas of publicly accessible lands provide land managers a tool to help balance the social and environmental values of the land, a solid backing to support further management efforts and a strong position for requesting funding to develop recreation infrastructure.
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The Center for Public Lands has partnered with the Gunnison Ranger District of the US Forest Service to support the development and implementation of designated dispersed camping on Forest Service lands around the Town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The purpose of this project is to reduce the extent and severity of negative impacts from increased camping in the area.
The development of educational kiosk panels will allow users to gain a better understanding of the transformation. Crested Butte Conservation Corps is a collaborative partner in this project and their crew will install signs, fire rings, and campsite posts at the sites.
A forward-thinking and functional strategy for recreation management, this project will enhance the natural resiliency of the area while simultaneously providing outstanding recreational experiences into the future.
Designated Camping Fee Proposal Development
The Gunnison Ranger District and the Gunnison County Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee (STOR) reached out to the Center for Public Lands for research support in developing a recreational fee proposal for designated camping around Crested Butte. In Fall 2019, Master in Environmental Management student Lizzie Bauer began research on the recreation fee proposal process. The research will support STOR and the Forest Service as they plan for infrastructure development to meet current and future maintenance and improvement costs for designated camping areas.
While the Forest Service and STOR Committee support the proposal, community-based outreach plays a critical role. The public’s input on next steps will be vital to preserve resources and maintain a quality experience for current and future generations.
To learn more visit our Innovative Financing for National Forests page.
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Interest in winter recreation is rapidly growing and so is the number of people accessing backcountry terrain. With more users, there is more opportunity for conflict and ecological impacts. The Center for Public Lands at Western Colorado University is working with the community to host events designed to promote learning and conversation around winter travel planning while also collecting data on winter recreation use around Crested Butte.
Read more about this work featured in Backcountry Magazine and the Crested Butte News Newspaper.
Learning Series
Interest around winter travel management yielded to cooperation from multiple community partners to host a four-part seminar series in 2019. You can view the Winter Travel Management Learning Series HERE
The series sparked innovative conversations about land management that acknowledge dynamic landscapes and collaboration between users and resource needs to manage winter recreation well for a variety of users.
Data Collection Initiative and User Survey
Crested Butte, Colorado, and the Upper Gunnison Valley are renowned for backcountry access available to multiple winter recreation groups. Currently, the area’s backcountry is regulated by a Winter Travel Management Plan (WTMP), which the United States Forest Service developed and created more than twenty years ago. Since its development, the tools available for backcountry access have changed dramatically and local antidotal observations note an increase in use. These technological changes along with observed increased visitation to the backcountry have prompted members of the Crested Butte community to express interest in updating the WTMP.
In anticipation of the future WTM planning process, local stakeholder groups approached Western to set up a visitor use study. The goal of the study is to gather data regarding backcountry travel and use in the UGV. The study aims to increase knowledge of winter travel patterns and enhance stakeholder’s ability to aid the USFS in the anticipated decision-making process of a new WTMP.
Data about backcountry winter use has been collected through observations, camera technology, surveys, focus groups, and collaborative data collection since 2017. This study is an ongoing collaboration between the Center for Public Lands, the Town of Crested Butte, and non-governmental organizations.
Here are our 2023/24 WINTER DATA COLLECTION INITIATIVE Report and our 2017/18/20/21/22/23/24 Seven-Year WINTER DATA COLLECTION INITIATIVE Comparison Report.
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Master in Environmental Management graduate, Tyler Lee, worked for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District to implement an overnight limited use permit system in the beloved Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The purpose of this project was to implement the first phase of a visitor use monitoring plan by establishing a limited use permit system at the Conundrum Hot Springs.
The project has accomplished engineering the permit system and reservation website, educating internal and external stakeholders, outreach to the public, and developing a strategic enforcement plan. Thus far, data from Wilderness Rangers shows the Hot Springs have seen a positive turn-around and a more prepared visitor.
Furthermore, the public and local media have embraced the successful first year of the permit. Tyler continues to work for the District as the Lead Wilderness Ranger to implement the next phase of permits and monitoring.
Check out these Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about Conundrum Hot Springs Overnight Camping Permit.
