State Land Board Outdoor Recreation Business Plan

[Oak]

The Board packet for the Colorado State Land Board's September 14 meeting included a draft Outdoor Recreation Business Plan with an objective "to promote recreation use on state trust land in a manner that achieves market-based revenue while preserving the long-term value of the asset." You can scroll down to the second page of the Board packet and click Tab 4 to go directly to the 16-page draft plan.

The three goals outlined in the plan:

• Goal One: Optimize the value of the existing outdoor recreational lease portfolio.
• Goal Two: Increase the number and type of recreational leases on state trust land.
• Goal Three: Minimize impacts from recreation leasing on important natural values.

Proposed strategies and actions include hiring consultants to prepare market studies of private recreation lease rents, promoting market based rents in the agency’s leasing policy and procedures by removing leasing barriers and encouraging competitive bidding, and actively work to diversity recreational uses beyond big game hunting.

One noteworthy proposed action is to pursue partnerships with 3rd party groups that create additional value, "e.g. Ranching for Wildlife, Bighorn Sheep Access Program, etc."

As many of you know, Colorado Parks and Wildlife currently has a recreation lease agreement with the SLB to provide hunting and angling access to approximately 973,000 acres of the SLB's 2.8 million acre portfolio. The lease rate for these lands was set at $1.64/acre in 2013-14, to be adjusted annually with the CPI. The current rate is around $2/acre, with the newer walk-in access lease rate set at $1/acre in 2019-20 and also adjusted with CPI annually.

I think we should have concerns about this potential new recreation lease strategy. A look at the outdoor recreation market analysis in the draft plan shows the SLB could look to target hiking, biking, x-country skiing, camping, running, and snowshoeing activities for future recreational leases. Adding these year-round activities to STL stands to reduce their value as functional wildlife habitat, and a competitive bidding process that creates competition for those lands currently leased by CPW will surely result in the lost of public hunting access on those lands. Hunting "access" programs negotiated with the private sector such as RFW may result in maintaining access for big game hunting, but could limit that access to those who can "pay to play."

I'm not sure there is a meaningful action item at this time, but the SLB does have a comment form on their website that allows submission of comments to the SLB Commissioners.

 

[vanish]

You're absolutely right to be concerned. Imo, This is backlash from the governor ramming the current agreement down the SLBs throat.

 

[Bigjay73]

"SLB could look to target hiking, biking, x-country skiing, camping, running, and snowshoeing activities for future recreational leases."

Does this mean open up new STL only for these activities, or these activities in addition to hunting and fishing?

 

[grasshopper]

I have a copy of the last lease rate market study they did. It wasn't worth much, no one wants to disclose what they pay for a hunting lease, if you do, it ain't truthful.

It would be great if CPW started leasing access to private soley for hunting access, like Montana, Idaho, & Wyoming. That was a broken promise of future generations. Yea, we have bird walk in out east, and a little bit of deer.

So now a state section, can have leases for ag use, hunting use, hikers, bikers, dog walkers, minerals, etc, etc. It's just gonna be great, let the ag tenants livestock eat all the forage, let everyone else scare the game off!

On the flip side, CPW should start competitive bidding for some parcels leased to private parties. Why do they get a sweetheart deal? I know one section leased by someone for 8k a year. Its good, but CPW won't bid.

 

[one ate E grain]

I've never to my knowledge been on State Trust Lands. I see them on maps of those units out in the NW corner of the state but have never been to them. Do they lease them out to outfitters? Seems to me that opening them up to all would be a good thing. Are they mostly for bird hunting in the east?

 

[TheGreek]

There’s a single specific section of STL I’d love to be able to lease south of Craig, but I ain’t never gonna get it from the Coal Company. In my brief review of who has leased some of the STL pieces here in the NW, the answer most often seems to be the nearby prominent private land owner, where that is a sheep/cattle operation or the power company.

 

[Big Fin]

Thanks for posting, Oak. This could be a huge issue for anyone who hunts Colorado.

I wish Colorado would go the route of Montana and just sell recreational passes to STL. Lots more revenue. No exclusive access based on ability to pay. Millions of currently inaccessible acres become accessible.

Maybe I’m not thinking about it properly, but there seems to be much better solutions that could raise even more money for the schools who are beneficiaries of the State Trust Lands.

 

[LuketheDog]

Thanks Terry, it's concerning for sure