Sopris Sun THE
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 49 • JANUARY 21, 2010
Recreation overload DOW says wildlife at risk with Sutey plan By Jeremy Heiman The Sopris Sun
T
wo officials from the Colorado Division of Wildlife have made it clear that if the Sutey Ranch northeast of Red Hill becomes public property, they want it to be managed for maximum benefit to wildlife with minimal recreational use or no recreation at all. John Groves, the DOW district wildlife manager for Carbondale, and Kevin Wright, district manager for Aspen, appeared before the Carbondale Board of Trustees Jan. 12 urging the trustees to support a management plan for the ranch that would preserve the deer and elk winter range there, should a proposed land swap bring it into Bureau of Land Management possession. “One thing I want to stress is the Sutey Ranch is absolutely critical winter range for deer and elk,” said Wright, who until recent years was manager of the Carbondale district. “I want the board to understand there has to be an appropriate management plan.” Billionaire Leslie Wexner, the current owner of the 520-acre Sutey Ranch, bought the property to use as a bargaining chip in his effort to gain control of a 1,268-acre parcel owned by the BLM on the north flank of Mt. Sopris in Pitkin County. The Mt. Sopris land is located between two of Wexner’s large parcels. He hoped to trade the Sutey Ranch for the Mt. Sopris property, but Pitkin County first refused to back the deal, and last week unveiled a counter offer. Within its offer, Pitkin County proposed combining some BLM and open space lands and other acreage at the base of Mt. Sopris to preserve public access to federal lands. Wexner rejected that idea, stating that it would negatively affect ranching operations and wildlife. The two DOW managers told the trustees that, along with a prohibition of winter recreation, they would like to see the Sutey Ranch remain closed to mountain biking. “I wouldn’t say it’s an absolute,” Groves told The Sopris Sun. “But once they put in the trails, it’s hard to regulate.” He said the BLM has only one enforce-
Where will I recreate?
Where will I procreate?
Mid-valley residents stand to gain access to more public land if the Sutey swap goes through, which may not bode well for wildlife.
SUTEY wildlifE page 7
Zoning changes on deck
Ron Robertson remembered
Hoopsters with heart
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