Conservation E-news - Holiday Edition

Welcome to the holiday edition of the CMC Conservation E-news, a once monthly interesting mix of news and action items that seeks to connect CMC members and the public with the work we are doing in CMC Conservation. Thank you for your support of our fourfold mission: Protecting Wild Places, Defending Quiet Recreation, Promoting Stewardship and Access. Happy holidays from CMC Conservation! Please remember CMC Conservation programs in your year-end giving. CMC Conservation is Colorado’s leader for sustainable recreation and conservation.  It is this unique perspective, as a large user-group, that informs our conservation ethic.  We are a respected voice connecting hikers and winter backcountry users with stewardship of our public lands.   With your support we have been able to advocate for additional wilderness in Summit , Eagle and Pitkin counties. With your voices, we have been able to help craft a better Colorado Roadless Rule, protecting over 4 million acres.  With your help, we are working actively on trail projects from Dillon to Grand Junction, bringing the hiker and mountain climber voice to the table.  With your help, we’ve been able to give over 3,000 hours of volunteer service in the last field season.    We are supported by gifts from individuals like you and some grants.  CMC membership dues do not directly support our Conservation.  Thank you for your support and for caring about protecting what is best about our state and working to steward it for a sustainable future!  Donate to Conservation at http://www.cmc.org/support. ACTION ITEM: Comment today on the proposed Bang’s Canyon motorized trail near Grand Junction.  This proposed system of motorcycle, ATV and Jeep trails threatens the quiet hiking experiences popular with Western Slope CMC members and the public.  CMC Conservation has been working to protect hikers experiences and these beautiful redrock canyons for a decade now.  Unfortunately, the BLM is once again trying to expand motorized trails into primitive, quiet areas.  Comments are due by this Friday December 21  – check out our ALERT. CMC Conservation invites winter recreation users to get involved with our program serving the human-powered winter backcountry recreation community – the Backcountry Snowsports Initiative, or BSI.  BSI seeks to defend human-powered winter recreation for skiers, snowshoers, snowboarders, and other users, while protecting the wild lands that support these activities. .  Join this community by signing up for our winter season monthly BSI e-news. We are pleased to announce that CMC is a founding member of Outdoor Alliance Colorado, a coalition representing voices for human powered recreation and conservation.  Members include CMC, Colorado Mountain Bike Association ( COMBA), and local affiliates of Access Fund and American Whitewater.  We believe that we can influence public policy and stewardship as the authentic voices for hikers, paddlers, climbers, mountain bikers and winter backcountry users.   Recent studies show that outdoor recreation is a huge positive economic driver in the West. We want to be able to help link that conservation of public lands is an economic engine for Colorado.  Recently, OAC representatives, including CMC Conservation Director Scott Braden, met with Sen. Mark Udall’s staff to endorse the senator’s proposal to create a national monument and wilderness for Browns Canyon of the Arkansas River.  Stay tuned for more news of this exciting new partnership!

Cottonwood Creek Trail / Crestone Open for the Summer

The Cottonwood Creek Trail south of the town of Crestone, and the historic west side pathway to the Crestones & other peaks, is open for the summer. Prospective climbers are asked to contact the manager of the Baca Grande Water & Sanitation District, Steve Harrell in advance of arrival. Since the available parking is on Water/San property, they need to know who is climbing in case there is a need for search/rescue service. He can also update climbers in case something changes later in the summer.

Camping is not allowed at the trailhead. There is a portable toilet in place, courtesy of the Cottonwood Study Group (CMC is a part of the Group). There also is an informational kiosk at the trailhead erected by the Forest Service. There may be a survey box near the kiosk, and climbers are asked to complete one. The surveys will assist in further deliberations about trail access after 2012. Please practice Leave No Trace principles along the trail and up to the peaks as Cottonwood Creek is a key source for local drinking water.

Hanging Lake Trail and Rest Area Closed Beginning May 1

The Forest Service will undertake several reconstruction and maintenance projects on the Hanging Lake Trail this summer beginning May 1 of this year. To facilitate this activity, the Hanging Lake Trail will be closed from May 1 to approximately August 1, 2010. Located in Glenwood Canyon on the White River National Forest, the Hanging Lake Trail is one of the most popular recreation attractions along the I-70 corridor with over 80,000 visitors annually.
For more information and updates, contact the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District at: 970-328-6388.

Access Update: Wilson Peak

Here's the latest news from the Norwood Ranger District for hikers that want to hike Wilson Peak this summer:

As this is written on April 13, 2010, access to the peak via the traditional standard route from the north through Silver Pick Basin remains closed. The access road along the Wilson Mesa Trail has been partially graded and work is to be finalized by the end of September. Trail signage is being done and most of the new Rock of Ages Trail has already been constructed in upper Silver Pick by the Forest Service, CMC, and the Telluride Mountain Club.

Access to the standard southwest ridge route on Wilson Peak remains open via other routes. These include Navajo Basin from the west; and Bilk Basin from the east. Access to Bilk Basin can be gained from either Lizard Head Pass or from Sunshine Mesa.

For more up-to-date access information from the CMC, visit: http://www.cmc.org/recreation/recreation_access.aspx. The CMC website will be updated as soon as the USFS advises work is done on the Wilson Mesa Trail road.