Browns Canyon

CBHA is fighting on the front lines to save the Browns Canyon limited core area of 20,000 BLM and Forest Service acres from encroaching ATV abuse by working with other concerned stakeholders to have the area protected as wilderness.

Browns Canyon is a relatively small area of still-wild public land in Chaffee County, near Salida and Buena Vista, that’s easily accessed by foot or horseback, providing a high- quality hunting experience. Approach to Browns Canyon is readily accessed by a number of roads from north, south, and east. Browns is also used by several traditional (horse-powered) outfitters.

Because of the excellent big game winter range, a source of water from the Arkansas River, and its remoteness, the proposed Browns Canyon Wilderness supports elk, mule deer, mountain lion, black bear, and bighorn sheep, along with a wide variety of smaller wildlife. The protection provided by wilderness status is critical for these species during the stressful winter months when higher elevation habitat is snow-covered and unusable.

The adjacent Pike and San Isabel National Forests contain 5,350 miles of motorized roads and trails. The surrounding Salida Ranger District alone offers over 476 miles of motorized roads and trails, whereas there are only 199 miles of trail reserved for non-motorized users. As a result, most points within Chaffee County are less than two miles from a motorized route. The Four Mile Motorized Recreation Area, for example, contains 100,000-plus acres and more than 195 miles of motorized routes. Other BLM motorized areas a short distance from Salida and Buena Vista include Texas Creek, Garden Park, Penrose Commons, Seep Springs Roads, Shelf Road and the Gulches, and Sand Gulch\Grand Canyon Hills.

As Buena Vista CBHA member Jay Gingrich describes a typical Chaffee County scene: “I rode [on mountain bike] through the Four Mile area near Buena Vista this past Memorial Day to see how bad the ATV scene had gotten. I was struck by the nearly constant onslaught of ATVs and motorcycles. There was never a time when I couldn't hear the drone of motors. The routes were badly torn up and rutted, with banked curves from fast riding. Twenty-five or 30 years ago, this same area had little traffic. Most routes were old double- tracks with grass growing between the tracks. In the fall there were people hunting there, usually parking an old jeep and walking up the drainages. It struck me that the former use of vehicles was for initial access only, but much of the present use is in fact motor-sports riders who began using the area a couple of years ago, albeit destructively. I have commented to FS/BLM that this new motorsports use is unsustainable on public lands.”

Statewide, some 78 percent of Colorado’s BLM and national forest lands are open to motorized use, about 17 million acres. In addition, just 4 percent of Colorado’s BLM lands lie beyond one mile of a road, while less than 1 percent is protected as wilderness. And currently, not one acre of BLM land has been designated as wilderness in Chaffee County. These public lands encompass lower elevation habitats that are critical for big game species during the winter months.

In addition, many treasured fish and mammals — such as trout, bear and elk — thrive best in wilderness. Many more flexible species, like deer, benefit from wilderness. All wildlife needs security provided by habitat. Excessive motorized use destroys habitat security, degrading the opportunities and experience of the majority of hunters and anglers and other outdoors enthusiasts.

As active outdoorsmen and women, we realize that today’s hunters and anglers are seeing less and less of the public lands backcountry (due mainly OHV over-use and abuse and uncontrolled energy development) that we enjoyed in past years. This trend is sure to continue, eroding the opportunities for quality backcountry hunting and angling experiences in the future. For this reason, we consider the proposed Browns Canyon Wilderness designation both timely and important.

For additional information on Browns Canyon, you can contact Front Range Co-Chair David Lien or visit the Browns Canyon Wilderness Website.