The Dolores Ranger District will be unveiling a new approach this spring in our planning efforts to determine the best mix of recreational uses of roads and trails in the Rico-West Dolores Area. We are interested in going beyond our standard public-involvement procedures and will be asking key stakeholders to help us explore new methods for actively involving the public and incorporating input.
Earlier travel management efforts for the Rico-West Dolores area of the San Juan National Forest were put on hold in 2009, but the need to designate a sustainable road and trail system for motor vehicle and non-motorized uses across this landscape remains a priority for many reasons. We will be focusing on offering public access and enjoyment, while sustaining the health, diversity and productivity of these National Forest lands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
We want to “think out of the box” to design a different way of engaging the public in recreation planning for Rico-West Dolores. Toward that goal, we have entered into an interagency agreement with the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, a nonpartisan and impartial program created by Congress in 1998. The Institute specializes in helping agencies and communities come together to create effective and efficient public discussions on challenging topics. As part of the Udall Foundation, the Institute is an independent federal agency with headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, dedicated to promoting conflict resolution. For more information on the U.S. Institute, please go to their website at: http://www.ecr.gov.
The Institute will first help us evaluate our current situation by conducting assessment interviews with key stakeholders who were involved in our earlier efforts. These interviews will be used to assess their concerns with previous Rico-West Dolores travel management efforts and to ask for their suggestions on how we can redesign a new process to promote more meaningful public involvement. These interviews will be conducted to include the wide variety of interests and concerns that surfaced in earlier Rico-West Dolores travel management discussions. Stakeholders are welcome to contact me if they would like to be involved in the assessment interviews to voice their concerns and offer recommendations.
It’s important to note that the purpose of these interviews is not to collect public comment but to assess the current situation and help us design a new format for discussions regarding management of road and trail use in the Rico-West Dolores area. The Institute will evaluate the outcome of the interviews and make recommendations to me regarding methods on how to proceed. Then the Forest Service will host a ‘kickoff’ meeting this spring to present to the public the results of these assessment interviews and propose a schedule and format for a new round of analysis and public involvement.
In the spirit of coordination, I have met with the Dolores and Montezuma county commissioners at public meetings to make them aware of this new approach and will continue to meet with them on a regular basis. Both commissions have expressed interest in taking part in the assessment interview process. We will be posting public notices in local media outlets and on our Website regarding the upcoming spring meeting as soon as details are set. If you would like to be placed on a direct notification list of upcoming opportunities to get involved in this effort, please email Deborah Kill at dkill@fs.fed.us. Thank you.
Derek Padilla is Dolores District Ranger of the San Juan National Forest
