TRAIL STEWARDSHIP

By Dan Carter (he/him)

Manager

CDTC was pleased to begin working with the new Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Administrator, Ben Lara, in December 2022. The CDT Administrator is housed under the U.S. Forest Service Region 2 Office and oversees the Trail. Lara and other National Trails leadership from the USFS, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management manage the CDT: Carin Farley– BLM, Brenda Yankoviak–USFS, and John Cannella– NPS. CDTC works closely with these agency partners to continue to complete, promote, and protect the Continental Divide Trail and landscape.

BLACK RANGE POST-BLACK FIRE SURVEYS

In 2022, the Black Fire burned over 325,000 acres, including much of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness and approximately 41 miles of the CDT through the Black Range of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. The Black Fire was the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history. In partnership with the Gila National Forest, CDTC developed a rapid, post-wildfire trail assessment survey using ESRI’s Field Maps app. CDTC staff will begin surveying the CDT through the Black Fire area in the spring of 2023 to help land managers determine and prioritize where work is needed. USFS expects to begin clearing blown-down and standing dead trees during this timeframe. Access to this section is challenging due to post-monsoon flooding and heavy winter snow, and precipitation has damaged many roads and trails. This section of the Trail is open, but users should approach it with extreme caution as the Trail may be difficult to follow due to erosion, blowdown, and unstable soils. Standing dead timber also poses a risk, especially during New Mexico’s windy spring.

Trail Completion And Improvement

Plans to complete major gap areas in New Mexico and Colorado continue to move forward, and conversations continue with stakeholders and completion of the Optimal Location Reviews.

New Mexico State Land Office and Bureau of Land Management also finalized a rightof-way to provide access to the CDT where it passes through state lands. This action is a major step for Trail protection in New Mexico and protects approximately 57 miles of Trail and allows for trail improvements such as maintenance, construction, signage, and gate installation.

Colorado Update

CDTC’s Colorado Fellow, Jordan Williams, has taken the lead as the Colorado CDTC representative and continues to move efforts along in the state across all of CDTC’s programs. Working closely with the Colorado Dept. of Transportation and USFS, Jordan is clarifying the process for signage improvements across the state to make the CDT safer and more accessible.

In Colorado, two new bills have brought the subject of public access across private lands to the forefront: Senate Bill 23-103 Recreation Liability Statute, and House Bill 1066 regarding Corner Crossing. SB23-103 did not move forward this year despite support from recreation groups, though HB1066 continues to move through committees. The latter would clarify the legality of passing diagonally from one corner of public land to another when the other two property corners are privately owned. This situation is common in the “checkerboarded” lands in the West because of the mosaic of public and private lands. OnX estimates approximately 8.3 million acres of public land in 11 western states in inaccessible due to the corner crossing issue.

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A previous bill that passed in Colorado, the Powerline Trails Bill, guides the use of existing utility corridors for recreation trails with the willingness of both the utility company and the landowner.

New Mexico Update

This Spring, CDTC staff, local volunteers, and USFS partners installed six rollover gates in the Burro Mountains and Little Walnut sections of the CDT near Silver City, NM. These new structures address the most common concern we hear from our neighbors in the grazing community: Open gates and cut fences. The rollovers prevent livestock passage and provide access for trail users without the need to open or close a gate. This infrastructure is popular with bicyclists, but hikers enjoy their simplicity and ease. Equestrian-accessible gates remain at these locations. More structures will be installed in high-use areas where recreationists and livestock share the Divide.

The New Mexico State Legislature passed SB9, the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, to fund conservation work in New Mexico. This creates a permanent, dedicated funding source for land and water stewardship, forest and watershed health, outdoor recreation and infrastructure, agriculture and working lands, historic preservation, and wildlife species protection.

The CDT received a generous boost with the installment of the Winchester Fund from a private donor. This fund will continue to provide resources to sign and mark the CDT and install kiosks and interpretative information at trailheads.

GIS Specialist and State of the Trail

Zack

Bumgarner (he/him)

Greetings! While I’m new to this role, I have years of experience in front-country GIS with local government and back-country GIS as the CDTC Field Technician and several seasons as a Wilderness Ranger in New Mexico. Since returning to CDTC as GIS Specialist, I’ve been taking steps toward building a stronger GIS foundation for the organization. Work has initially involved updating the trail centerline and building a comprehensive in-house spatial database that can be updated from the field, providing more accurate and timely data. This will be important as we develop the State of the Trail report, a comprehensive inventory of the trail, and the human and natural landscapes it connects.

I look forward to diving in and seeing what the data reveals.