Sponsors (2)
The bill protects large areas of Colorado public lands—safeguarding habitat, water, recreation, and public‑safety through active forest health measures—while trading off reduced motorized/recreational access and limits on resource development that may lower local industry revenue and increase federal management costs.
Rural communities, recreationists, and wildlife: gain long‑term protection of large swaths of public lands (hundreds of thousands of acres across multiple designations), preserving habitat, scenery, watersheds, and climate resilience.
Hikers, anglers, tourists, and tourism‑dependent local businesses: receive clearer management rules, trail protections, and maintained trail connectivity that improve outdoor access, visitor experience, and the appeal of local recreation economies.
Rural communities and local governments: benefit from authorized hazardous fuels reduction, insect/disease control, decommissioning standards, and other active forest‑health measures that reduce catastrophic wildfire risk and protect public safety.
Motorized riders, some cyclists, and related small businesses: face reduced OHV and bicycle access across multiple designations, limiting recreation choices and likely reducing tourism revenue for communities that rely on motorized recreation.
Local workers, resource-dependent communities, and state/county governments: lose potential resource development opportunities (mining, mineral leasing, timber, oil and gas, and certain merchantable timber sales) because of withdrawals, no‑surface‑occupancy restrictions, and resource protections, which can reduce jobs, royalties, and tax revenue.
Federal agencies, taxpayers, and local governments: will incur increased planning, survey, monitoring, enforcement, and management costs to implement new designations and plans, potentially diverting limited agency resources from other priorities.
Based on analysis of 11 sections of legislative text.
Places 19,080 acres into Federal trust for the Tribe, creates multiple conservation/recreation/wilderness designations in Gunnison County, and withdraws mapped lands from certain mineral leasing and surface use.
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Jeff Hurd · Last progress May 15, 2025
Transfers about 19,080 acres of Tribe-owned fee land into Federal trust for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (subject to valid existing rights), explicitly bars that land from being eligible for federal gaming, and requires a boundary survey. It creates a set of land-management designations across Gunnison County, Colorado—Special Management Areas, Wildlife Conservation Areas, Protection Areas, Recreation Management Areas, and a Scientific Research and Education Area—sets rules for allowable uses (including limits on off-highway vehicle, bicycle, and commercial timber activities), preserves certain proposed trail projects, and expands and adjusts multiple wilderness areas. The bill also withdraws specified federal lands from certain mineral leasing and mining laws (with narrow exceptions) and requires map filings and collaborative planning, with defined timelines for some actions (e.g., 1-year and 3-year deadlines).