In 2007, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released it’s report on the eligibility of rivers in the Upper Colorado River basin for Wild and Scenic River designation. In response to potential federal protection for Colorado’s headwaters, and the impact Wild and Scenic River management might have on the ability of Colorado to develop new water projects, various state agencies, local governments, and water providers came together in a collaborative effort to propose a local alternative to Wild and Scenic River management for the Colorado River.

American Whitewater joined the negotiations in late 2007, and is currently working with stakeholders and consulting agencies in good faith to develop a Management Plan Alternative that would protect the “Outstandingly Remarkable Values” (ORVs) of Gore Canyon, Pumphouse, Burns and Glenwood Canyon on the Colorado River, as identified in the 2007 Eligibility Report.

The Stakeholders Group intention is to develop a collaborative plan that balances the following: permanent protection of the ORVs; certainty for stakeholders; water project yield; and flexibility for land owners, management agencies, and water users. The group released the conceptual framework for the development of a Management Plan that will be proposed to the BLM as an alternative in their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for their revised Management Plans for the Kremmling and Glenwood Springs Field Offices.

American Whitewater’s focus as a stakeholder in the alternative planning process, is to ensure that the type and quality of the whitewater opportunities of the Upper Colorado River are analyzed, and to leverage recreational flow requirements to protect fish, wildlife habitat, and the outdoor recreation industry. We are representing private boaters and commercial outfitters in the negotiation process, and are among the only stakeholders advocating for dynamic flows that sustain sediment transport, fish spawning cues, riparian health, and world class whitewater experiences.

The Stakeholders Group has releaed the conceptual framework for the development of a Management Plan that has been proposed to the BLM as an alternative in their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the revised Management Plans for the Kremmling and Glenwood Springs Field Offices.