Dylan Anderson/Steamboat Pilot & Today
According to the U.S. Forest Service the long-awaited environmental review for the Mad Rabbit Trails project could release as soon as July, after partner agencies have completed a review of the project plan.
Michael Woodbridge, Hahns Peak and Bears Ears district Ranger, stated that the Forest Service shared a draft of this plan with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Colorado Department of Natural Resources. These agencies are currently looking at the plan and will be submitting comments to the forest agency.
Woodbridge said that once we have received feedback and feel comfortable putting it out there for their consideration, the next step is the public comment period.
Once the assessment is released, it will be the first official communication regarding the plan Since 2019, from the Forest ServiceThere have been many delays in the planning, one of which was the absence of a Steamboat District Ranger. Woodbridge has been serving in his position since March 2021.
Woodbridge stated that when I arrived a year ago, we had a draft of the document and had a lot of meetings with CPW to discuss their concerns. Now we are at the stage of final edits based upon input from our cooperating agency.
The Steamboat Trails Alliance, which directed funds from the accommodation tax to a specific list trail list, in 2013 2A, is the source of the project. Early plans would have connected Rabbit Ears Pass trails with Mad Creek north of Steamboat, which is the source for the Mad Rabbit moniker.
But A 2019 preliminary proposal Many of the trails proposed near Mad Creek were not included in this proposal. The proposal would have created 51 mile of new trails, mainly on Rabbit Ear Pass, as well as renaturalized 20 miles unapproved, user-created trails, many of them in the Mad Creek region.
The Forest Service stated that they would need to continue work on the proposal until February. The new district ranger was not yet in place. Woodbridge said that they have been tweaking the proposal since then and that it has changed from its 2019 iteration.
Woodbridge stated that at one time there were trails through the forest being proposed. We’ve gone through many iterations before we got to where it is now.
Woodbridge stated that July would be the earliest date the plan could be made public, but it could be earlier depending on the comments received from state partners. The public would be delayed further if these agencies raised serious concerns.
Once published, the comment period would last at most 30 days. This would include multiple community meetings, and a presentation at Routt Recreation and Conservation roundtablea stakeholder group that was involved in the trail proposal since the beginning.
Woodbridge stated that meetings are best for presenting the plan to public, but online comments are more useful.
Woodbridge stated that people have been discussing this topic for a while. We are closer and we expect it to come.
Dylan Anderson can be reached by phone at 970-871-4247 and email [email protected].
