LANDS IN COLORADO’S BROWNS CANYON AND MAROON BELLS-SNOWMASS PROTECTED
View from potential building site in Browns Canyon
On October 2, 2006, the Trust purchased a 9-acre parcel adjacent to the proposed Browns Canyon wilderness. The parcel, also known as the Eddie C. Lode, is located east of the Arkansas River and north of Salida within the Pike & San Isabel National Forests. The property can be accessed by road during the summer months from the town of Turret. It is the only private property on this last stretch of seasonal, unimproved road. If left unprotected, a cabin could have been constructed on a flat building site on the property.
The now protected 9-acre parcel is located within an area of Browns Canyon that is dominated by pinyon-juniper forests. The proposed wilderness is an important wintering ground for deer and elk, and bighorn sheep were successfully reintroduced into the Canyon in the 1980’s. Mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, pine martens, as well as many species of raptors also inhabit the area. The Browns Canyon section of the Arkansas River is known for its whitewater recreation opportunities, being the most boated stretch of the river. Hiking and fishing are also popular in the Canyon.
The legislation proposed to designate the Browns Canyon as wilderness did not include the 9 acres of private land. Now that the Trust has purchased this property and is in the process of transferring it to public ownership, the proponents of the proposed wilderness legislation have the option of including the additional 9 acres and a portion of the access road.
On November 1, 2006, the Trust also purchased a 10 acre parcel in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness north of Crested Butte. This parcel, also known as the Denver Lode, is located approximately three to four miles northeast of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), which promotes the understanding and protection of the high-altitude ecosystems of Colorado and the watershed of the Gunnison River. The development of this inholding could have negatively impacted RMBL with increased four wheel-drive traffic along the Forest Service road that accesses the property. Once the Trust transfers the parcel to public ownership, the 10 acres will become part of the surrounding Wilderness. This acquisition is in support of the High Elk Corridor project undertaken by a consortium lead by the Trust for Public Lands.
