For Immediate Release:  June 1, 2004
Contact: Steven Hall, 970-244-3052

BLM plan for Hardscrabble Open Area Trail System in the works

The Bureau of Land Management Glenwood Springs Field Office will prepare a plan for the Hardscrabble Open Area Trail System (OATS). The Hardscrabble area comprises approximately 35 square miles of BLM-managed land south of Eagle and Gypsum.

The purpose of this plan is to provide a management strategy for the Hardscrabble area until the BLM Glenwood Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP) Revision occurs. Planning for the RMP is scheduled to start in 2005. Otak, a consulting firm based in Carbondale, has been contracted to facilitate meetings, collect public comment and prepare a proposal.

The Hardscrabble Area receives a variety of uses, including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, motorcycling, ATV riding, four-wheel driving, skiing, and snowshoeing. Due to the variety of uses and increasing numbers of users, resource damage is occurring in some portions of the Hardscrabble Area along with conflicts with adjacent private landowners.

The Hardscrabble OATS plan would be an interim strategy designed to encourage people to use the trails recommended by community stakeholders while avoiding other areas. This strategy would reduce resource impact, user conflict and confusion for those unfamiliar with the area. Changes to the area designation will be considered in the RMP Revision, currently scheduled to begin in 2005.

The interim management plan would address resource concerns and provide recommended trail routes based on input from trail users and the general public. The BLM is seeking input from the public to help guide the direction of this interim management plan. Public meetings will be locally scheduled in Eagle or Gypsum, which will occur sometime in late June or early July. For more information, contact BLM’s Dorothy Morgan at 970-947-2806.

- BLM -