Let’s save the
playing field first

Opinion by
Vera Smith and Clare Bastable

The twenty-first century challenges all of us to steward our unique mountain heritage. In an age when off-highway vehicles sport engines and tires that can carry people up mountainsides and through rivers, recreation groups need to push aside differences and unite around similarities. Together, recreationists can speak with a united voice that politicians will listen  to while separately recreationists’ concerns are easily dismissed.

Colorado is full of recreation organizations from hiking and mountain biking organizations to hunting federations and outfitters’ groups. These disparate groups formed to protect the particular type of recreation about which they care deeply. Although these groups are diverse, many were actually founded on conservation principles reflecting an early understanding that conservation and recreation are fundamentally one in the same. 

For instance, Trout Unlimited, an angling organization, is organized “To conserve, protect and restore North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.” Similarly, the mission of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), primarily a hunting organization, has as part of its mission “conserving, restoring, and enhancing natural habitats, promoting the sound management of wild, free-ranging elk….” Similarly, the Sierra Club is organized “To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the Earth. To practice and protect the responsible use of the Earth’s ecosystems and resources….” The Colorado Mountain Club, primarily hikers and climbers, works “to encourage the preservation of forests, flowers, fauna, and natural scenery.”

Recognizing that recreation organizations are bound together by  the common thread of caring for the land, the Colorado Mountain Club has reached out to recreation groups in the region to develop a unified recreation voice for conservation. Since hiring the Western Slope Conservation Coordinator, whose primary purpose is to develop this voice, the CMC has contacted over thirty major recreation-based organizations in the mountain region on issues of mutual concern.

The CMC initially  is working to form a coalition of over twenty non-motorized recreation and conservation organizations in the White River National Forest to speak out for quiet use opportunities and forest protection during the travel management process. This effort is unprecedented, with hunting, biking, fishing, skiing, hiking, and environmental interests finally sitting down at the table together. The process is long and hard, and we don’t always end up with agreement. But, perhaps most importantly, we force debate of hard issues, create a forum for discussion, and establish networks among all the recreation organizations.

The Roan Plateau offers the most recent opportunity for collaboration. The area is one of the most important in Colorado’s natural heritage legacy, a vast and beautiful upland located twelve miles northwest of Rifle. The Roan Plateau is valued by hunters, fishers, hikers, bikers, and environmentalists alike; it also happens to be one of the biggest targets of President Bush’s energy plan. The natural and recreational values of this area are undisputable: Its waters provide habitat for several pure strains of cutthroat trout as well as some of the best fishing in western Colorado. The Roan Plateau has been referred to as a “sky island” habitat for big game; it is becoming one of Colorado’s prominent areas for elk hunting. In addition, it features one of the largest waterfalls in the state, making it a premiere destination for hikers. Finally, it is listed as one of the four most biologically diverse areas in Colorado, but the only one not currently afforded permanent protection.

The Bureau of Land Management is currently putting together the first management plan for this area. Speaking as many different voices, as hunters, hikers, bikers, or environmentalists, our recommendations won’t carry much weight. Speaking in unison, however, with one resounding cry for protection, recreationists and conservationists may, in fact,  be heard as loudly as the demands for energy development.

The reaction of recreationists throughout the state has been encouraging. Often, diverse recreationists express interest in establishing “recreationists for conservation” organizations in their local communities. The idea of groups such as the Quiet Trails Coalition is sparking interest from Steamboat Springs to Telluride to the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond. With the work of many passionate individuals, we could one day see a united voice of recreation in Colorado, speaking for responsible recreation and conservation of public lands in the entire Southern Rockies eco-region

We need to conserve our land, not only for its inherent value, but also in order to preserve our recreational opportunities. We are hikers. We are mountain bikers and anglers. We are guides and outfitters. We play different games on the same field. Let’s save the fields and worry about who plays which game later. P