In the spring of 2018, the agency proposed the project and public involvement began. The Forest Service issued a scoping letter to determine the “scope” of the issues needing consideration and analysis as the Environmental Assessment (EA) was being developed.

In addition, a public meeting was held in Tincup, Colorado in the Spring of 2018 to present the proposed project to interested members of the public and solicit comments. At that meeting, local stakeholders expressed a strong desire to develop a Taylor Park specific Adaptive Management Group to amplify and formalize public engagement in development of the project.

In response to this request, the Gunnison Ranger District of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests entered into an agreement with Western Colorado University’s Center for Public Lands for the development and facilitation of an adaptive management group and University-affiliated Science Team.

Early 2019 Western hosted several workshops to give the public an opportunity to learn more about the Taylor Park project and initiate a stakeholder engagement process. These events catalyzed an initial group of self-selected, committed citizens to begin looking closely at the details of a stakeholder engagement process.

To learn more about the formation of the Taylor Park AMG, click here.

To learn more about the Science Team, click here.

In the spring of 2019, a Preliminary Environmental Analysis was published, and a 30-day comment period began. The resulting public comments included requests to modify elements of the proposed action, including three main areas of concern: temporary roads, watershed health, and economic viability of potential commercial timber sales.

A meeting was held with the agency and AMG members to discuss the comments and proposed actions. At this meeting, it was determined the agency would collaborate with the Science Team to develop a new alternative informed by comments from the public and AMG. All meetings were public and available for distance participation.

In the summer of 2019, a public field trip was held to provide a learning opportunity about proposed treatments, examples of poor forest health, and desired forest health conditions.

Later in September 2019, a meeting was held to review the working draft of the New Alternative (Alternative 2) and propose the addition of prescribed fire to the project.

The Forest Service and Science Team presented the New Alternative to the AMG and public in September 2019 and again, in more detail, in December. In response to requests at the December meeting, the agency made portions of the draft New Alternative materials available to the public and provided another opportunity for informal review and feedback. That feedback was reviewed in discussed in February 2020.

Alternative 2 was generated from comments presented during the preliminary environmental analysis comment period, meetings with the Taylor Park AMG, interested stakeholders, and the Science Team.

A draft Decision Notice/Finding of No Significant Impact was prepared by the Gunnison District Ranger in February 2020 and subject to a 30-day administrative review (commonly known as the objection process). Three objections were received and reviewed by a team of agency specialists outside the Gunnison Ranger District. To address these objections, the a component of the project known as Contingency Treatment Areas were removed, and clarity was added to the watershed management objective yellow-light trigger adaptive action.

The District Ranger signed and released the final decision in June 2020, concluding the NEPA decision and beginning the implementation process. The selected alternative, Alternative 2, was generated from comments presented during the preliminary environmental analysis comment period, through meetings with the AMG and interested stakeholders, and in collaboration with the Science Team. By working together in this analysis, a future forest was envisioned in shared understanding, not just in planning, but as importantly, in a partnership for implementation and beyond.

You can read the final decision here.