The Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group has launched a survey to get a better understanding of the river user experience and what going forward should be done regarding camping, permitting, put-in and take-out situations, etc etc…
I know…. This is a fairly local issue, but one that’s near and dear to my heart. The info gleaned form it could affect many people who consider the Upper Colorado their “home” water as well as folks who visit it semi-regularly.
The Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group was formed as an independent, collaborative group in 2007. The intention is to balance permanent protection of the Outstandingly Remarkable Values, certainty for the stakeholders, water project yield, and flexibility for water users along the Upper Colorado River from Kremmling to Glenwood Springs.
In recent years this section of river has become much more popular for a wide variety of user groups. While the access points have gotten much better infrastructure-wise, in my opinion sometimes the camping situation and fishing has suffered due to an influx of private boaters and newly minted guides.
Campsites are hard to come by during peak use and have gotten pretty beat up. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing some type of permitted camping system put in place, heavier guided fishing regulation and maybe even some type of easy-to-get use permit to float during times of heavy use. I’m not talking about a lottery or anything that extreme, but I think a little stake in ownership with vested time and perhaps a nominal bit of money could tame the chaos on one of my favorite sections of river.
The survey asks about your most recent visit to this incredible stretch of river and takes about five minutes to complete. Please do it and answer as honestly and accurately as you can.