The Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) is set in the San Luis Valley, one our nation’s highest alpine desert. Broke up into 3 Districts, Conejos Peak Ranger District (RD), Saguache RD, and Divide RD. Together they manage portions of 4 Wilderness Areas, spanning over 1,000,000 acres including the Weminuche Wilderness. The Weminuche is the largest Wilderness area in Colorado encompassing 499,771 acres. The Divide RD alone covers 983,000 acres in multiple counties and has a total of 720 miles of hiking trails, a Special Draw Hunting Unit, a Ski Area, 40 miles of the Rio Grande River and its headwaters, 178 miles of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, and portions of the Colorado Trail. We have endemic and endangered species throughout ecosystems ranging from juniper and pine foothills to delicate high elevation tundra. I know other forests are just as special, but this is my home and I have watched the conditions shift and the amount of use increase over the years.
Since 2019, the Divide RD has been working under a grant to look ahead and capitalize on the tapering window of opportunity to be proactive in dealing with the influx of recreational use and reduce the environmental impact produced. Neighboring Forests are ahead of curve when it comes the increase of visitation/use and have been an invaluable resource of things to immediately address and things to look for in the future. In discussion with the neighbors, local user groups, and other agencies/organizations they are identifying lessons learned and areas that are currently vulnerable to resource damage and user group conflicts. Instead of looking back and realizing that so much could be been done to protect the resources, there are hard conversations being had with the follow through needed to facilitate change.
A baseline of current use is being further established, such as locating the majority of dispersed camping sites throughout the forest using GIS, sending crews out on high use weekends to log the amount and type of use in popular areas. Once that data is more concrete, they are looking at the opportunities and pressures the data reveals, both now and in the foreseeable future. The preliminary findings are showing that most of our issues are human-centric problems and not resources issues. There is a communication break down between forest users and groups within. The need for public education of basic outdoor skills, stewardship, and etiquette is pressing.
As I was in collage for natural resource management, I never fully grasped how much people management was involved in the process. I am gratefully to be a part of this evolution and see younger generations and novices come to have a reverence for the land. With everything going on in the world these past couple of years it’s important that we take care of each other and yet hold each individual responsible. Future generations are depending on us getting this right.
“If you know wilderness in the way that you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go. We are talking about the body of the beloved, not real estate.” – Terry Tempest Williams.
Agency: U.S Forest Service
Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)
Location: Lost Trail