For Immediate Release: Tuesday April 1, 2003
Contacts: Bureau of Land Management 970.826.5000                              
Moffat County Commissioners 970.824.5517
                     

BLM, Moffat County, and Interested Stakeholders Work Together to Develop the Northwest Colorado Stewardship Partnership

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Moffat County recognize the growing interest and need to develop a “community based stewardship” model for managing federal lands in Moffat County, Colorado.   The BLM and Moffat County have partnered to establish the Northwest Colorado Stewardship Partnership.   This partnership encourages the participation of a wide range of stakeholders and empowers them to identify federal land stewardship priorities and methods to implement identified priorities.  John Husband, Little Snake Field Manager said, “For a number of years now we’ve been faced with competing interests positioning themselves legally and politically to have public lands managed for their particular interest.  This has not been a very productive for anybody.  I want to start a process where all the interests can work together to agree on some resource management goals and objectives and help ensure they are implemented over the long term.  I’m looking for broad based citizen involvement.”

The Northwest Colorado Stewardship Partnership will involve several phases to be determined by stakeholders.  Theses phases will likely include several training and leadership opportunities, several public forums and meetings to encourage citizen involvement and ideas for federal land management, scientific research and monitoring, developing outcomes and end products desired from federal land management, and partnering to accomplish on-the-ground management.

The viability of Moffat County and the surrounding area is dependant on a healthy social, economic, and environmental structure.  This partnership asserts the indivisibility of humans and nature – the mutual interdependence of one upon the other.  As such, the partnership assures stakeholders are represented and empowered to demonstrate a new innovative method for federal land management that ensures responsible use of the natural resources while maintaining or enhancing the area custom and culture.  Les Hampton, Chair of Moffat County Commissioners said, “This innovative management approach empowers those of us who live on the land to be a part of the managerial process which allows us to utilize, preserve, and enjoy the resource we are all dependent upon.”

The BLM and Moffat County have drafted a Statement of Intent, which identifies the general project goals and principles.  The BLM and Moffat County will host a public meeting on April 22, 2003 at the Shadow Mountain Clubhouse, Craig, Colorado, 7:00-8:30 PM. to discuss the Northwest Colorado Stewardship Partnership.  Please refer to the attached Statement of Intent for additional information.  If you are interested in being involved with the Northwest Colorado Stewardship Partnership please contact the Little Snake BLM or Moffat County as listed above.

Northwest Colorado Stewardship Partnership

STATEMENT OF INTENT

Introduction:  The Department of the Interior (DOI), the Bureau of Land Management, Little Snake Field Office, Craig, Colorado and the White River Field Office, Meeker, Colorado (BLM), and Moffat County recognize that there is a growing interest and need on the part of citizenry and public land users to become more actively involved in solving environmental and natural resource issues and concerns.  The DOI, BLM and Moffat County, Colorado, invite all interested federal, state, tribal, local and private stakeholders to participate in the development of the Northwest Colorado Stewardship Partnership, consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s “4C’s”, “Conservation through Consultation, Communication, and Cooperation”.

  Project Goals:

• Improve the health and productivity of the land and socioeconomic relationships;
• Cultivate community-based conservation, citizen-centered stewardship, and partnership through consultation, cooperation, and communication;
  Build trust;
• Protect and manage the environment for multiple uses while respecting each agencies respective missions; and
• Empower the people affected by federal land management decisions in the planning, the decision-making process, and implementation of projects.

Project Principles:

• Encourage innovation;
• Build on successful partnerships and relationships;
• Recognize that resource conservation and the economic well-being of human communities are interdependent;
• Understand that for each natural resource issue, a human relationship is linked;
• Assess conservation outcomes at the landscape level, across ownership boundaries (while protecting private property rights), and consider the entirety of the land and its residents;
• Ensure conservation is dependant upon science-based decisions, while ensuring flexibility and adaptability throughout the project;
• Protect private land and water rights;
• Use an open process that encourages the participation of all interests;
• Use outcome-based management to measure progress through continual monitoring; and
• Define conservation goals cooperatively through local, state and federal plans.

  The accomplishment of the above-listed project goals and principles will require stakeholder cooperation and collaboration to be able to identify, develop, make land management decisions, and implement actions. 

-BLM-