Help stop illegal dumping on your public lands

WESTERN COLORADO—Public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction, Gunnison and Uncompahgre Field Offices are some of the West’s most popular and spectacular destination points. But sometimes, they’re not such pretty sites to see. As landfill and disposal fees rise, and urban areas creep ever closer to public lands, BLM staff across the Western Slope are seeing an increase in illegal dumping—everything from household rubbish to computers to old appliances to dead animals. The Bureau is appealing to the public to assist in reporting those who use their public lands as public dumps.

"Most folks are careful and respectful enough not to leave a mess on public lands,” Gunnison Field Manager Kenny McDaniel said. “But there are a few thoughtless folks who break the law and leave trash on these lands that belong to all of us.”

The Gunnison Field Office (GFO) administers 600,000 acres of public lands, and staff frequently monitors sites located at Hartman Rocks, McCabe Lane and along the Signal Peak Road where illegal dumping and pallet parties are a recurring problem. Some too will occasionally leave behind a weekend’s worth of trash in their campfire pit. While target shooting is a popular and legal activity on most public lands within the GFO, encouraging shooters to choose safe areas, as well as pick up all targets and spent shells as they leave, is a constant challenge. The Gold Basin and Lost Canyon Shooting Areas, with the latter being the most abused of the two, are areas of concern for BLM staff.

BLM staff working in the Grand Junction Field Office are responsible for caring for 1.2 million acres of public lands. The largest population center on the Western Slope, the City of Grand Junction, is surrounded on all sides by public lands. Ten miles west of Grand Junction, the 123,430-acre McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (NCA) stretches into Utah. No matter how pristine the area, public lands can be marred by discarded TVs and batteries, wrecked vehicles, and yard and industrial waste.

“BLM needs your help in maintaining your public lands,” said Barb Sharrow, Field Manager of the Uncompahgre Field Office located in Montrose. “You can do that by making sure you never leave anything behind when you visit public lands. In fact, set a good example—bring a trash bag with you and pick up trash left by the previous visitor.”

The Uncompahgre Field Office and Gunnison Gorge NCA encompass nearly 960,000 acres of public lands. BLM staff frequently find trash left behind in areas off Highway 90, North Delta and the Adobes located within the NCA. Not all of this trash is benign—in early July, two partial drums of gunpowder were discovered off Davewood Road. Yet another popular spot for illegal dumping, the increase in trash has coincided with the growing number of residential homes in this area, as well as increased public use and travel in the southern end of the Uncompahgre Valley.

Along with resource damage and visitor safety issues associated with illegal dumping, the cost for clean up and disposal of these discarded items is unfairly borne by the U.S. taxpayer—and it can be expensive. Alan Kraus, BLM hazardous materials specialist covering much of western Colorado, reported that disposal costs can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per incident for such services as laboratory testing, personnel time involved, and transport and disposal. Kraus added that some businesses in your local community may accept such things as hazardous household waste for a minimal fee, or in some cases no fee at all. For example, most of the local automobile battery distributors take old batteries for no charge. Additionally, your local county may maintain special waste disposal facilities for recycling and composting. The Mesa County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, located at the Mesa County Landfill, accepts household hazardous wastes from Mesa County households for free and hazardous wastes from small businesses for a very reasonable fee. Information on these services can be found at http://www.mesacounty.us/swm.

If you see anyone dumping trash on public lands, BLM encourages you to write down a license number, a description of the vehicle, the date, time and location, and report this information to the nearest BLM Field Office. This increases BLM’s ability to track down those violators and issue citations. If caught, the penalty for this offense usually involves both a fine and many hours of community service cleaning up illegal dump sites on public lands. These are your public lands—BLM needs your help in protecting them. To report suspicious activity dial 911, or in the Gunnison Field Office, call (970) 641-0471; the Uncompahgre Field Office, call (970) 240-5300; and in the Grand Junction Field Office, call (970) 244-3000 or the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency dispatch at (970) 242-6707. For additional information, contact Alan Kraus at (970) 244-3078.

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