Grand Junction • Entered by Sherry Schenk on January 1, 2024
Information exchange
October 1, 2023 – October 31, 2023
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | |
| Post Admin hours | |
| Activity Hours | 6 |
| Participants | 1 |
| Total Hours | 6 |
Key Issue: Multiple apply
Activity Type: Broadband Meeting (prep, implementation & follow up)
Key Partners: Attended the monthly GOBfW meeting, the Grand Valley Trails Alliance Roundtable meeting and a Western Colorado Alliance – Mesa County meeting.
Landscape/area: BLM CO – Grand Junction Field Office
Short Description of Activity
Attended the monthly meeting for Grand Junction area Broadband, a bimonthly meeting for Grand Valley Trails Alliance Roundtable and a Western Colorado Alliance -Mesa County meeting.
Much of our our discussion at the GOBfW meeting focused on the alternatives proposed in the SEIS for the two local BLM Field Offices. The Roundtable meeting consisted of various representatives recreation groups reporting on their activities and projects happening recently. A Wildlife Biologist from the GJFO BLM also attended to ask members present to discuss the reasoning behind seasonal closures and the impacts on wildlife. He stressed that due to snow cover many of the wildlife were not able to gain access to vegetation food sources and often were slowly starving. He also talked about the impact on wildlife when people did not respect seasonal closures and when around barriers.
Reflection/Evaluation
The SEIS discussion enhanced our understanding of the ACEC designation and gave specific information about reasons for ACEC designation at specific ACEC areas. The Roundtable discussion is almost always helpful in that it increases our understanding about recreation impacts from multiple user groups in certain areas. I also appreciated the comments and explanation given by the BLM wildlife biologist and the fact that members listened to what he said, asked clarifying questions . He passed out a map showing roads across the field office which showed high impact areas and made understanding the possible impacts to wildlife easy to understand. the WCA-MC meeting did not discuss issues that were relevant to GOBfW, but it is helpful to know that WCA is not longer addressing concerns that they have in the past.