Marble Lead King Loop
CPL is partnering with the Forest Service and Gunnison county to develop a management plan for the future of this scenic road.
A stakeholder group concerned with increased outdoor recreation-based visitation on the Lead King Loop outside of the Town of Marble is launching a collaborative process to address issues and define potential management strategies. CPL will facilitate this initiative.
The Town of Marble and surrounding public lands in Gunnison County and on the White River National Forest have been experiencing social-economic and environmental pressures due to the high amount of use by those traveling to the Crystal Mill on the 13-mile, rough, unmaintained road of the Lead King Loop. The Town of Marble is a gateway community that contains approximately 120 year-round residents and is the main entry to the Loop, which attracts up to 17,000 visitors in the summer each year.
The Lead King Loop stakeholder group will clearly identify issues and concerns and collaboratively develop recommendations to address these issues. The group will assess recreation uses, determining stressors within the Town of Marble, determine data collection needs on the environmental impacts to the surrounding lands, water and wildlife, and propose management strategies that will best mitigate impacts to the Town of Marble, visitor experiences, and the ecosystem.
