[0:33] Good morning, commissioners. I'm going to start the recording for this meeting.

[0:41] Recording in progress.

[1:53] Are we ready? All right, welcome, everyone. My name is nurse reporter, not I'm the chair of the Laplata County Board of County Commissioners. Commissioners, if you'd like to introduce yourself. Good morning, Clyde Church, Laplata County Commissioner. That's all good, Laplata County Commissioner. Good morning, commissioners. I'm Texas Stevens, the county manager. Carol Rogers, county attorney. All right. Thank you, everyone. We have a lot of people in the audience today.

[2:16] I have a feeling I know why you're here, so we will talk about that in a second, but I will call this meeting to order and let's stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

[2:27] I pledge allegiance to the Flagler of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under the rule of the individual.

[2:40] All

[2:43] right, we're going to move on to today's agenda and for anybody online, you can always

[2:48] find this by going to the Laplata County homepage and going through the minutes and agendas.

[2:55] And we have a bit of a new format, so if you have questions, let us know, but you can

[2:58] get to the agenda, audio, and all the packets that we are looking at.

[3:03] We have two parts to today's agenda.

[3:05] As per usual, one is a consent agenda and then the decision agenda.

[3:11] The consent agenda is designed to approve projects in a single motion.

[3:15] That while very important, and we do read all the material, of course, does not require a border staff discussion.

[3:22] Do either of the commissioners wish to remove anything from today's consent agenda?

[3:28] No, Madam Chair.

[3:29] And I do not either.

[3:30] So on that note, hearing no changes, do I have a motion to approve today's agenda?

[3:34] Yeah.

[3:35] Madam Chair.

[3:36] Yep.

[3:36] I move to today's agenda.

[3:38] All right.

[3:39] All in favour say aye.

[3:40] Aye.

[3:41] Aye.

[3:41] All right.

[3:41] The motion carries and we have our agenda for the business meeting for the 8th of April.

[3:47] All right.

[3:47] Do any of the commissioners need to make a disclosure regarding potential or perceived conflicts of interest?

[3:54] No conflicts.

[3:55] No, Madam Chair.

[3:56] And neither do I.

[3:57] All right.

[3:58] We do not have any minutes today.

[3:59] Okay, we're going to go on to public comment, this public comment will explain this to you is not for the decision item that will come later in just a few minutes since we are not discussing everything on consent.

[4:12] So public comment is for anything that is just in general or for anything else but the public lands resolution.

[4:20] So on that note, Logan, I will turn this over to you for public comment both online and we'll see if anybody in the room is here to talk about anything else but the resolution.

[4:28] Thank you commissioner. Welcome to the public comment section of the agenda providing you with the opportunity to express your views on issues within the board's jurisdiction, not covered in today's agenda, as well as items that are on the consent agenda.

[4:46] If you wish to speak on an item listed under the decision agenda, please wait for that item to be called.

[4:51] To make comment virtually, please raise your hand in Zoom.

[4:55] For those of you watching the meeting on a computer, tablet, or smartphone,

[4:59] there is a raise your hand button at the bottom of your screen.

[5:02] If you're on the phone and would like to make comment, please press star 9

[5:05] to let me know that you'd like to speak.

[5:08] To ensure your comments are officially recorded, state your name before speaking

[5:11] as these proceedings are recorded.

[5:14] Each speaker is allowed a maximum of three minutes

[5:17] and the board may limit comments on any given topic

[5:19] to know more than a total of 10 minutes.

[5:22] If these time limitations are insufficient

[5:24] for expressing your thoughts,

[5:25] alternative channels such as submitting written comments

[5:28] are generally available.

[5:30] According to the Colorado Open Meeting's law,

[5:33] formal actions are restricted to the agenda items.

[5:37] As decisions required,

[5:38] Vance notice the board may not take action on any items,

[5:41] not listed on the agenda today.

[5:43] However, we value and welcome your input

[5:45] to maintain a professional atmosphere.

[5:47] sphere, please address comments exclusively to the board. The board chair may limit comments

[5:52] deemed irrelevant, repetitive, or beyond the board's jurisdiction. If you're watching

[5:57] the meeting, there's a clock on the time clock on the boardroom view to help you gauge

[6:02] your time.

[6:04] And nobody in the virtual audience has raised their hand to make public comment.

[6:11] Anybody in the room want to make a general public comment today? All right, I will officially

[6:17] I will now take a motion on the consent agenda for passage.

[6:21] Yes.

[6:22] The consent agenda is posted.

[6:25] Okay, I'll in favor say aye.

[6:27] Aye.

[6:28] Aye.

[6:28] All right, the motion carries.

[6:29] We have three items.

[6:31] County cash requirements, approval of two letters of support for Fort Lewis College grants for affordable housing and ratification of a grant application for our public health department to the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation.

[6:42] All right, now we're going to move on to the decision agenda, and Sarah Jacobson is going to give the staff report.

[6:56] Thank you very much, commissioners.

[6:58] Sarah Jacobson, administrative analyst here in our administration department.

[7:03] La Plata County, let's see, sorry, I feel a little loud.

[7:08] La Plata County commissioners would like to express their deep concern regarding the indiscriminate and

[7:15] short-sighted cuts being made to federal land management staffing as well as funding.

[7:20] These reductions have serious and dangerous implications for La Plata County, where public lands comprise the majority of our 1,700 square miles.

[7:29] Public lands are a fundamental driver of our local economy and community well-being.

[7:34] Tourism accounts for approximately 28% of La Plata County's economy, with public lands playing an essential role in sustaining this sector.

[7:45] The San Juan National Forest alone receives approximately 1.32 million visitors annually,

[7:52] contributing an estimated 110.7 million in visitor spending, reducing federal land management

[7:59] and resources directly threatens the sustainability of these economic benefits and jeopardizes the

[8:04] ability of our federal land agencies to responsibly manage and protect these treasured landscapes.

[8:11] Further, staffing and funding cuts undermine the ability of land management agencies to maintain

[8:18] recreational infrastructure, prevent and manage wildfires, and address the growing pressures

[8:24] of increased public land use.

[8:28] As visitation continues to rise, it is imperative that federal land agencies are equipped to meet

[8:33] these challenges, ensuring both the safety of visitors and the protection of the natural

[8:39] resources that make La Plata County such a desirable destination.

[8:43] So for the Board's consideration today is Resolution 2025-09, a resolution of the Board

[8:51] of County Commissioners of La Plata County Colorado supporting our public lands.

[8:56] Thank you so much, Sarah.

[8:58] You always do a great job with writing these and giving our report.

[9:02] All right.

[9:02] Do the commissioners have questions for the staff on this?

[9:07] Questions?

[9:08] Yeah, we will save our comments for later.

[9:10] All right, we will now open this up for public comment.

[9:14] And you heard the directions for public comment.

[9:17] You're limited to three minutes.

[9:19] If you can state your, come up to the podium,

[9:22] state your name.

[9:22] You don't have to give your address, but where you live.

[9:25] And we will hear about how people feel about this resolution.

[9:29] So just whoever wants to come up.

[9:35] Morning.

[9:35] I want to thank you so much for this resolution.

[9:38] It was beautifully written.

[9:39] and also the comments right here.

[9:43] I'm volunteer conservation lead for the local Sierra Club.

[9:47] And I would just want to add a couple things.

[9:49] A lot of people don't know this.

[9:51] We are in a mass extinction crisis.

[9:55] And ecosystems around the world are stressed

[9:59] every ecosystem in the world.

[10:01] And we need to keep all our public lands as much intact

[10:04] and not unravel any part of the ecosystem.

[10:08] So all that which you have addressed is important.

[10:11] I also want to add that farce create their own clouds,

[10:16] their own moisture, they can create their own rain

[10:19] through transpiration.

[10:21] And so we cannot increase the logging as is suggested

[10:27] by President Trump.

[10:29] We need fire mitigation, yes, but not that.

[10:32] Thank you very much.

[10:33] I really appreciate what you're doing.

[10:35] Thank you.

[10:36] And before you step away, can you introduce yourself, please, just your name for the record.

[10:39] Oh, sorry. Margaret Mayer.

[10:42] Thank you.

[10:43] Thank

[10:52] you, commissioners, for the resolution, very well-written, Sarah.

[10:57] Buck Schellen, with the five members chapter of Trot Unlimited.

[11:05] We have two threatened and endangered species of trout in the San Juan National Forest

[11:13] that certainly could be impacted by this land going unadjudicated, sold off, not protected.

[11:28] It's very, very important as stated in the resolution that our recreation and the economic well-being

[11:38] of Plotta County, Durango, Bayfield, et cetera could be seriously impacted.

[11:45] So I salute you for that, and thank you very much.

[11:59] Morning commissioners, my name is Timothy Thomas, and I reside in Durango, Colorado, grew

[12:04] up in Denver, Colorado about 64 years ago.

[12:08] I've lived in the state the whole time, and I've used the public lands pretty much from

[12:13] a young age.

[12:14] I definitely support the resolution you came up with.

[12:17] I thank you very much for that, and I would just add that between recreation and also my professional pursuits as a guide

[12:24] I worked at Port Lewis College in an outdoor education program, and we continually use the San Juan Forest and the surrounding BLM lands as well on a permitted process for these purposes for education and recreation.

[12:38] So I would staunchly oppose efforts to sell, transfer, dispose of, or any of our national

[12:47] public lands.

[12:49] Please keep these public lands in the public hands, and thank you very much.

[12:53] You.

[13:03] Good morning, distinguished commissioners.

[13:07] My name is Jimbo Buick-Rude, I live in Eremosa, and I'm representing a couple of different

[13:14] pieces of the community day.

[13:16] First of all, here most of the company ditch

[13:18] I'm president of the board of directors of the ditch.

[13:21] And so I'm speaking from that perspective,

[13:23] but also as Tim Thomas here spoke to some of us

[13:29] have worked on the lands here for quite a long time

[13:32] before my work as a conservationist.

[13:34] I worked for 25 plus years for a Colorado

[13:38] Bound School and Colorado Bound School.

[13:41] And many programs would have no place to go

[13:43] So if we didn't have our public lands opened up opportunity for educational experiences.

[13:50] So thank you first of all for all of your work on this and your commitment to this issue.

[13:58] As we all know, everyone in this room, though maybe not everyone across the country knows

[14:07] is that public lands are woven into our lives, right?

[14:12] We're eat, drink, whatever,

[14:15] bathe, recreate, every verb you can think of is that we do,

[14:18] every person in this county is related to our public lands.

[14:21] I mean, it's just the basic, it's us.

[14:23] There's no separation between it.

[14:25] So any kind of disment attack,

[14:29] sell off whatever public lands directly affects every resident,

[14:33] and as well as visitors to our county.

[14:37] And I also note that as the commissioners learned a few weeks ago here when they received a briefing from pure of land management and for service.

[14:46] The federal land cuts that come to this time have been problematic and especially in some places that you know regard the safety of this community.

[14:59] and I'm...

[15:00] We'll point out the fire mitigation, well-fired mitigation, prescribed fire, and even fire suppression, even though it's been said, oh, we're not going to cut firefighters. I think everyone knows that firefighters just don't go off there on their own and everyone else back at the office is drinking coffee, needing cupcakes. Everyone hands on deck deal to take care of our public lands. So yeah, so you're well aware of what the current issues

[15:29] are economically, safety wise, long-term health, and so forth.

[15:35] I'll just wind up by saying that this community and our social communities, we work so hard together,

[15:45] collaborating across agencies, tribes, et cetera, to take care of public lands.

[15:50] Commissioner Church and I, we're going to collaborate together that we've done for

[15:53] over years and I have across the area for many years and so it just shows the commitment

[15:59] that our community has to that and thanks for standing up for the people who are standing

[16:04] up for our public lands. Thank you.

[16:06] Thank you.

[16:08] Thank you.

[16:14] Welcome commissioners.

[16:15] I'm John Raider.

[16:16] I live here in Durango on the Public Lands Program Manager for the San Juan Citizens Alliance.

[16:21] We're a regional nonprofit that advocates for public lands wildlife, clean air and pure

[16:27] water here in the San Juan Basin and we represent about a thousand members.

[16:30] Like many in our community, we are shocked and angered at the reckless attacks on public

[16:35] lands and the federal workforce that manages them.

[16:38] Our friends and our neighbors have dedicated their careers to stewardship of our public resources.

[16:43] Public lands are vital to our health, welfare, and prosperity in Laplata County.

[16:48] And on behalf of San Juan citizens' Alliance and our members, I want to express our gratitude

[16:52] to this board for recognizing and declaring their importance.

[16:56] At a time when many elected officials would transfer or sell off these lands, taking from

[17:01] our community and future generations in order to enrich the few, it is critical for

[17:05] local governments to stand up for public lands and the values they represent to our residents.

[17:10] So thank you for taking this seriously and for adding your voices to the chorus and

[17:14] Colorado and across the nation.

[17:16] Thank you.

[17:33] Thank you for having us all here today talk about public lands commissioners.

[17:38] My name is Michael Carol, I live here in Durango, and I come here today to ask the commission

[17:42] to unanimously support the public lands resolution.

[17:46] I moved to Laplata County 25 years ago from Washington, D.C. to take a job for the wilderness

[17:51] society, a national public lands advocacy group that works across the country.

[17:56] I moved to Durango side unseen because I was tired of living in a place, or living in a working

[18:02] on public lands, but living in a place that didn't have access to them.

[18:05] I think that's what's unique about Durango and Laplata County is that we have access to these spectacular landscapes out our back door.

[18:14] And I believe I share that value with almost all of the, are my fellow citizens of Laplata County.

[18:19] When you ask people in Laplata County what they do, that's not a question about their occupation. It's a question about their recreation.

[18:30] And I love that about our county.

[18:31] What's amazing and unique about Laplata County is not only do we have access to the women

[18:36] who children is, the hermosis special creek area and the San Juan mountains, but we also

[18:41] have national public lands right here in our town that I use every day to hike into mountain

[18:48] bike.

[18:48] For example, Animus Mountain, Grandview Ridge, Skyline Ridge, these are probably better known

[18:54] by the trail names that are in those places, right?

[18:57] Big Canyon, South Rim, Sidewinder, Cowboy, on the other side of town.

[19:01] You have sailing hawks, loop, and animes mountain.

[19:05] Some of the county's best trails and parts of almost every trail system across the county are co-managed or

[19:12] managed by public lands advocates and the national public lands agencies.

[19:18] This is why the county unanimously passing this resolution that you're considering today is critical

[19:24] for sending a clear message about the values of La Plata County at a time when most of

[19:31] those values seem under attack by the Trump administration and their allies in Congress.

[19:36] I mentioned that I worked for the Wilderness Society.

[19:39] Let me just run you through a few of these attacks that are happening and why that makes this

[19:45] resolution timely.

[19:46] On day one of Congress, the Congress, when they were sworn in, they actually passed a resolution

[19:51] to make it easier to give away public lands. There was a budget memo leaked by the Budget Committee

[19:56] that actually made it, are assumed that they would pay for tax cuts by selling federal

[20:01] public lands. Secretary Burgham has said over and over again these are assets that should be

[20:07] looked to are used to pay off our national debt and they continue to push to open up and sell off

[20:14] federal public lands for housing across the country.

[20:18] And the Senate just had a vote on Friday night to oppose the sale of federal public lands.

[20:25] And keep them out of any budget bill that was introduced, the amendment was introduced by Senator Hickenlooper, and it failed.

[20:32] Can you believe it that senators across the West with the exception of our senators didn't vote for that?

[20:38] So let me just leave you with this.

[20:39] Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this resolution.

[20:44] It accurately depicts the deepest values that we share here in Laplata County.

[20:49] Colorado is the first state to pass bipartisan resolution in support of public lands.

[20:54] Laplata County can be the first county in the country to pass a resolution in support of public lands today, if you unanimously pass this.

[21:02] So thank you very much.

[21:03] I

[21:16] thank you for upholding our democracy and giving us voice in our county decisions.

[21:21] My name is Ellie.

[21:22] I am a resident of Durango.

[21:24] I would like to share with you why I love public lands because they are public.

[21:31] The definition of public is concerning or affecting or maintained by the community or the people.

[21:41] that they are public reflects our inherent need to be on the land, to envelop

[21:49] ourself in the river as we float away. It shines the quietness of open space

[21:58] devoid of motors and friction of tires. It releases our distractions from the past

[22:07] and the future, it allows us to be here, right here, right now, immersed in the

[22:15] beauty. It is as though being in our community lands allows us to levitate from

[22:23] time itself.

[22:26] The only true fact within that that is critical is we must

[22:34] incorporate this caveat that they are healthy public lands. We must protect

[22:42] them, we must steward them, and as public owners, we have that opportunity to

[22:48] steward them. So the beauty that these mountains provide, the wonderful

[22:55] opportunities that our rivers give us, these are what our community lands offer us.

[23:03] I am so grateful that y'all are addressing this.

[23:07] I'm very proud to be a Laplata County resident.

[23:11] There might be the first one to say we are standing up for our community,

[23:16] for all of you, for us, for all of us, for the whole citizenry that has access to our community lands.

[23:26] So in conclusion, I would like to give you a haku.

[23:38] Thank you

[23:43] for

[23:56] having us today for this resolution and for hearing my public comment. My name is Kim Stevens. I'm a resident of Durango and I work at the Wilderness Society as our director of our climate and energy work.

[24:10] I feel like everyone has reflected this in some way in their comments, but really the

[24:16] public lands in and around this county is what makes it so special and why people visit

[24:22] our communities and invest in our communities and it's why families choose to stay here and invest

[24:29] in our communities including myself as a mom of an almost two year old. We get out there every day

[24:37] and you know it's scary because we're seeing attacks on our public lands to sell off our lands

[24:43] and moves to open more land to drilling mining and other industrial uses and that's really scary

[24:51] when we think of the state of public lands today in Colorado 73% of our federal public lands managed

[24:59] to buy BLM is currently open to oil and gas leasing and there are bills in Congress right now

[25:06] to mandate that the Bureau of Land Management offer all of those open acres to lease every single quarter.

[25:15] And also to limit the BLM's ability to defer those leases in times when there's impacts to communities or other oppositions.

[25:25] So, now really is the moment to make it clear that the county stands by the values of public

[25:32] lands and opposes any attempts to sell off these lands to the highest bidder.

[25:37] Thank you.

[25:38] Thank you.

[25:40] I, uh, Commissioner Salka just reminded me we do have two of you online.

[25:45] We will get to you.

[25:45] I promise that is two hands raised now, but we will take everybody in the room and then Logan

[25:50] can go into the online commenting.

[25:54] Who else in the room?

[26:01] I want to thank you for putting forth this resolution.

[26:07] I would have been a lot happier if it had been put forth as soon as they started laying off all of our federal workers and destroying our country.

[26:17] And I want to thank everybody for coming to speak and I just want to say when are we going to start being proactive and fight?

[26:27] We need to fight, we cannot, this is not a debate, this is not something with you is going to happen here.

[26:34] We need to take action and we need to take action first.

[26:39] We can't just always be on our back foot.

[26:41] We need to make phone calls every day.

[26:44] We need to call Bennett, Hickenlooper, Hurd.

[26:47] We need to demand that they do something.

[26:50] We need to just keep demanding and showing up at the rallies and the protests.

[26:56] and the marches, and we need to take action because they're stealing everything.

[27:01] It's becoming a dictatorship.

[27:02] Trump and Musk are taking over.

[27:05] It's already happening.

[27:07] They're trying to privatize Social Security.

[27:09] They already screwed the Postal Service with DeJoy in office, and they weakened it,

[27:15] and now they're trying to privatize it.

[27:17] They're trying to privatize everything for their businesses.

[27:20] That's why the oligarchs were standing behind Trump, and it's why we need to do something now.

[27:25] We need to take action, call every single day and demand action.

[27:30] It's not a debate in a room.

[27:33] It's a back alley brawl.

[27:36] That's what's happening now, and that's what we need to do to defend our country.

[27:40] And this resolution is great, but it's on our back foot.

[27:45] We need to take action every day.

[27:49] Thank you.

[27:54] All right.

[27:55] Do we have anybody else in the room that we'd like to give comment?

[27:57] I'll

[28:07] be brief. My name is Grace Morlage. I'm Durango, Mother Grandmother, Hiker, outdoors person, and

[28:19] a member of the Gradov Brods for Wilderness. And I spent a little time recently in the Texas oil patch. I could talk about that for a long time.

[28:31] It's really very, very distressing to be in a place where oil is king.

[28:38] And I think what I want to say in general is that cultural and spiritual resources are not for sale.

[28:51] And it's something that America's got to come to terms with again and again.

[28:58] so thank you for hearing me and I really appreciate that you are making a statement. Thank you.

[29:04] Thank you.

[29:07] All right we can come back to the room if anybody has a thought. Logan I will turn it over

[29:12] to you for the online I see two hands and maybe more it looks like three. Thank you. Thank you

[29:20] Commissioner. First up we have someone named Dan. I have allowed you to speak if you would please unmute

[29:29] yourself and identify yourself for the record. Thank you. Thank you. Can you hear me okay?

[29:38] Yes, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning and thank you for this resolution and for your

[29:44] leadership commissioners. My name is Dan King. I'm a resident of Durango and the Animus

[29:50] Watershed. I represent the Laplata Mountains and Public Lands Coalition which is a growing group

[29:56] of 200-plus residents and organizations.

[30:00] Standing up for public lands and the Laplata Mountains, in particular due to the copper mine and the exploration that's going on there. I cannot share enough about public lands that hasn't already been shared here. The benefits are numerous from wildlife habitat and conservation, to clean water and air, to biodiversity, to climate change mitigation, to all the economic benefits from the outdoor recreation economy that we exist in, to tourism, and so much more.

[30:29] or there's also the social and cultural benefits,

[30:32] the sacredness of our public lands,

[30:35] the recreation and health that it provides,

[30:37] us, our citizens across the county,

[30:41] our children, our everybody else

[30:43] that calls this place home.

[30:46] I can't say enough about this resolution.

[30:48] I love the way it's worth it.

[30:49] I love the fact that we are taking a stance here.

[30:52] It shows a lot for this community

[30:54] and what we are able to do.

[30:56] I do agree that we need to stand up and be more vigilant and more intentional in these spaces.

[31:03] Now is the time we stand on the front lines of the public lands battle.

[31:08] I cannot say enough about the lands towards. I see some of these folks in the audience today.

[31:14] They're my brothers and sisters and in this community.

[31:18] And I ask that you please support and pass this resolution and again, thank you so much.

[31:22] Thank

[31:28] you. Next up, we have an attendee named Brian Spire. I am allowing you to speak. If you would please unmute yourself and identify yourself for the record.

[31:39] Thank you. This is Ryan Huggins. I'm a concerned citizen, small business owner, hunter, policy wonk.

[31:47] And I just wanted to chime in to really appreciate the county considering taking action and giving

[31:53] your citizens a voice and wanting to emphasize just the economic impacts.

[31:59] You know, we all remember so clearly the impacts of the Gold King and 419 on a local economy

[32:03] from property values, jobs, tourism economy, tax base, all those things have a huge impact.

[32:10] And even the threat of changing our public lands, of losing the management, of losing the service,

[32:16] the quality of the experience will have an impact on this community. And I really appreciate

[32:21] being proactive and making a resolution to oppose that. It's already and economically,

[32:26] to mulch this time, and doing what we can to help preserve our local economy and the face of

[32:31] that is appreciated.

[32:35] Thank you.

[32:40] Next up, we have Brian Webster, and I am getting permission to speak.

[32:46] If you would please unmute yourself and identify yourself for the record.

[32:50] Thank you very much. My name is Brian Webster and the Public Lands Campaign Manager for Conservation Colorado.

[32:56] I actually live in Grand Junction and as someone that's not one of your constituents wanted to call on and say thank you.

[33:06] This resolution means a great deal to many folks that live in your county as you are hearing and seem today but it means a great deal to a lot of us across the state as well.

[33:17] Well, I have a family that are your constituents and family that recreates, it spends a lot of time in Plot of County.

[33:25] And as Michael Carroll said earlier, when folks are asked what they do, I would say I am a hunter and

[33:33] an angler. That is why I do this work. It is what I love to do.

[33:36] And from a young age, public lands have shaped who I've come to be today.

[33:41] They've shaped my value system. And one of the things I love about public lands is it doesn't matter how much

[33:46] money you have in your pocket, it doesn't matter what your last name is, where you come from,

[33:51] or how you identify. They belong to you, and you can step out of your vehicle, and you can

[33:56] go spend time in these places, whether it's for solace, or recreational opportunity,

[34:01] and enjoy them and commune with our natural heritage, commune with our cultural heritage.

[34:07] It's interesting how when you are out on public lands that you find that folks are kinder to each

[34:12] you end up meeting someone on the trail and you end up having a great conversation with them.

[34:17] They are a way that connects us in a way that very few other things do in our society.

[34:24] I think you all probably heard that phrase that Europe's got its cathedrals and we've got our

[34:28] public lands. I think one of the most iconic things that we can all recognize, something that a lot

[34:35] of us are probably participating in is like from a young age as kids being loaded up into a car to go

[34:41] visit these incredible places with family members and folks that we care about.

[34:45] And that's a special thing, and I really hope that future generations have the ability

[34:51] to have their values and their identities formed and shaped in the ways that those of us in

[34:57] this room and here listening to your leadership today are able to do. And just again, thank you

[35:03] for your leadership on this. This is an important moment. And I hope that we see other Colorado communities

[35:08] communities across the United States, follow your leadership, so thank you.

[35:14] Thank you.

[35:19] And the final person who's raised their hand to speak is Taylor Lunau.

[35:24] If you would please unmute yourself and identify yourself for the record.

[35:29] Thank you.

[35:33] Hey, good morning, everyone.

[35:36] My name is Taylor Lunau, I'm a former resident of Durango, Colorado, and I'm also an employee

[35:45] at the wilderness society, I'm the Colorado conservation manager with them, and I just

[35:52] wanted to chime in briefly here to express my gratitude to the commissioners for their

[35:56] leadership on this issue. I think that you've heard a lot today from our fellow residents

[36:03] how valuable public lands are, and I think I could add additional tidbits to what the economic

[36:09] value or the social value of those places are but I think I wanted to share just a story as to

[36:16] like what brought me to Durango in prior to the the pandemic and I was living in golden at the time

[36:26] and moved out of out of the front range to the western slope as the pandemic kind of ramped up

[36:33] And we were lucky to find a place in Durango, and we're out for a bike ride shortly thereafter on Hermosa Creek.

[36:42] And there was this sweet smell that was kind of intoxicating in the air as we were coming over the hill.

[36:49] And I realized as we came up over, it was wild roses that went on for as far as you could possibly see.

[36:57] I pulled over my mountain bike and decided like at that moment that this was the place that I was going to stay and build my life.

[37:07] Surprisingly or not, I was encountering other great folks that had similar experiences of how they came to be in Durango.

[37:16] was the rock climbing up at East Animus, which is on

[37:20] Bureau of Land Management Land, or over at X-Rock,

[37:23] which is the fantastic beginner area

[37:25] that many of our mountain guides bring folks

[37:28] to introduce them to the sport,

[37:30] or floating down the Animus River.

[37:33] These recreation assets that primarily exist

[37:36] on federal public lands are true assets

[37:40] that have brought not only young professionals like myself

[37:45] to this town, but businesses and kept families here for long periods of time.

[37:52] I think that connection goes so far, and I'm excited that the commission is taking this issue up,

[38:00] because the threat is very much real.

[38:03] As we heard earlier, our senators are doing what they can to push back on this,

[38:08] but we really need strong leadership from our commissioners to get our color out of delegation

[38:13] to do what's right and to represent the interests of the rest of the Colorado community.

[38:20] So thank you for taking this issue up. I want to urge all the commissioners to support this.

[38:28] And, you know, we've done this kind of work in the past. There's tons of groups in Durango

[38:34] that have worked hard to steward these lands and have strong interests in them. I was before this

[38:40] commission some years ago representing the Durango climbers coalition and worked with you all to

[38:46] acquire funds to do a large stewardship project on Animus Mountain and over at X-Rock.

[38:52] Those places remain important. Yes, thank you.

[38:57] Sorry, you could have been able to hear it, but the beeper went off.

[39:00] So if you could just do a little wrap-up, thanks.

[39:03] Yes, well, I would strongly support the passage of this, so thank you very much all.

[39:08] Thank you for your comments anybody else all right I will close public comment

[39:17] comments commissioners yes I heard a lot of testimony here and I have a heart

[39:27] felt compassion for the wilderness and starts starts at our back door and I

[39:35] I just wanted to point out that a lot of things have been covered today, one thing I did want to emphasize is the strategic alignment of this resolution with our strategic county strategic plan.

[39:50] And it reduction and force of the Forest Service BLM, the stewards of the land, has a ripple effect.

[40:03] When there aren't people to handle the fire mitigation in the county, and residents are

[40:12] trying to clear out brush around their homes, there aren't people to write the checks.

[40:20] There aren't the states not there, the feds aren't there, and it has a ripple effect.

[40:24] All of a sudden grants aren't being completed.

[40:28] operations in the forest for healthy forest aren't carried through, it just has an economic

[40:36] ripple effect.

[40:37] And from an economic vitality standpoint, I think this resolution is very important.

[40:43] It completes and covers some more issues that have not been covered, and I want to thank

[40:49] you for your testimony today.

[40:51] Thank you, Mr. Church.

[40:53] Mr. Salca.

[40:54] Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

[40:57] I'm in complete support of this.

[40:59] This is a no-brainer.

[41:00] But I really wish we didn't have to do this resolution,

[41:02] because that means our public lands are under threat.

[41:04] So this is very important to me.

[41:07] Our public lands are not for sale.

[41:10] But again, this is just a resolution.

[41:13] Words on a paper.

[41:15] And I agree with you, ma'am.

[41:17] We need to continue the fight.

[41:19] And the definition of fight for me is engaging with our electives keep being

[41:24] that squeaky will. I know and I have full confidence in the three county

[41:29] commissioners here to continue that message and continue engaging with our

[41:33] senators and our representative and making sure that we don't want this to be

[41:37] sold. This is a benefit for all and to keep your hands off our lands. So for me I'm

[41:44] in huge support of this and I appreciate everyone coming out and online and I'll

[41:48] Passed over to Madam Chair.

[41:50] All right, thank you.

[41:51] I could go on and on, and I tend to do that and known for that,

[41:55] so I'm gonna keep it maybe medium short today.

[41:59] I have been going to public lands since I was born.

[42:01] Since I was two years old, we would go out and play

[42:04] on the BLM lands in Moab.

[42:06] We would go up in the Laplata, up the Dolores River.

[42:10] I love that comment about packing up the family and going out.

[42:13] We did horseback trips on the John Bull Trail.

[42:15] If you've never done it, I recommend it over by Dunton.

[42:19] We would go to Dunton back in the day before it was $250, $500 a night.

[42:23] But anyway, these are a part of my DNA, like nothing else.

[42:30] And when I see the attacks that I am seeing on the very fundamental nature of public lands,

[42:38] the list for cell-off, the gutting of our firefighting forces, and our San Juan Public Land Center.

[42:49] When I see the indiscriminate slash illegal firing of people who were in there, and they

[42:56] were fired for cause and for illegal reasons.

[43:03] Some very good people have lost their jobs.

[43:06] They're now out on the streets looking for jobs.

[43:08] What were they doing before?

[43:10] They were cleaning out toilets.

[43:12] They were doing biological assessments.

[43:14] They were doing water quality monitoring.

[43:17] They were writing the range, making sure that people

[43:19] cleaned out their campfires.

[43:22] And I can't tell you how angry I am about where we're at

[43:27] in American history when the one unique thing to America

[43:31] are national lands, whether they're national parks,

[43:33] whether it's Forest Service BLM on the state level CPW, Bureau of Recreation where you can do that kind of recreation.

[43:44] I can't believe they're under attack and I don't think it's with the majority of American people, Colorado and the Plata County in support.

[43:53] I could not be more proud that if we are indeed are the first county in the country, yay on that.

[43:58] And it is because of you out there in the audience, and people not here that you brought this to me, and I just want to say thank you for your passion.

[44:09] Thank you for caring. I agree with you, and I'm not sure I would have said this three or four years ago, we are going to have to fight.

[44:17] I am a person as people know in my background, a mediator, a facilitator. I have always believed in bringing people together.

[44:25] I still believe in that strongly.

[44:27] That's how we got the Hermosa Creek wilderness protection and special management area.

[44:32] It's how we got the NCA bill that is being introduced.

[44:35] The Gort bill, which is up by Gunnison, and many, many others.

[44:38] But I am afraid we are in a time when we are going to have to fight.

[44:42] That's going to have to maybe be the first tool in the toolkit.

[44:46] And it's a good point, resolutions are words, but they have power.

[44:49] And I hope this prompts other county commissioners in Colorado in the country to say yes, this is a time when we are tested like our democracy is being tested now

[45:00] You have to say what your values are. And our values are public lands, public land access. And I would note, it's not just public land for recreation. We have grazers, we have people that ride their snowmobiles. I am a, my husband and I do hybrid formal driving than hiking and camping. And so I know this is a little bit of a speech. I apologize, I feel so strongly about this. And I believe that with enough action and enough calling, we are going to make a difference across this country.

[45:29] I think when you have things that are swinging so far,

[45:33] it brings out people that maybe aren't the usual suspects,

[45:36] and I see a little bit of that today.

[45:38] So I'm obviously in strong support of this.

[45:41] I appreciate what all of you are doing.

[45:44] Yes, please make calls every day.

[45:46] There's all kinds of apps you can find.

[45:48] And I also want to note for people that maybe are

[45:51] from the agriculture community,

[45:53] who are from the watershed community,

[45:55] who are from the hunting community,

[45:57] the outfitting community.

[45:58] The public lands are for everybody.

[46:00] That multiple use, the concept of brown signs, is really important to all of us.

[46:06] And so I have this strong value, not just for the ecosystems, although that was a very good point.

[46:13] But also for the water systems, and for the forestry systems.

[46:17] And for everything we are trying to do, as a county, with the city, with Durango fire, with wildfire adapted, with all the HOAs, like Commissioner Churches.

[46:26] The this idea that we're now seeing projects halted that we're going to literally save Durango, including one in one person's neighborhood who's sitting here.

[46:37] We've done all this planning and all this collaboration and now we're seeing things halted, but we're going to win this because we're on the right side of history.

[46:45] And we are on the right side of the issue, people love our lands.

[46:49] And so thank you for indulging me.

[46:51] I appreciate everybody being here today.

[46:53] I hope if you're listening, no matter what your politics are, please know this is coming from a place of this is the American way of life.

[47:01] And it's being threatened, and thank you all for being here.

[47:04] I am in strong support and would take a motion for a resolution.

[47:16] Yes.

[47:17] I move to a food and sign resolution 2025-09 supporting public lands.

[47:23] All in favor?

[47:24] Aye.

[47:25] Thank you.

[47:26] Thank you everybody.

[47:31] Okay,

[47:34] I skipped the most important part, I apologize, Sarah reading it into the record.

[47:39] And that's for people that may be listening later and don't have it in front of them and

[47:45] I skipped it.

[47:46] So thank you.

[47:47] Thank you.

[47:48] La Plata County, Colorado, is home to a significant portion of public lands, comprising

[47:53] Approximately 42,381 of the total area, which are integral to the county's economy, environment, and quality of life.

[48:03] And whereas these public lands managed by federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, San Juan Public Land Center, and the Bureau of Reclamation Trust Trace Rio's Field Office, provide essential resources including grazing lands for agricultural operations, habitats for wildlife,

[48:22] life, drinking water, and nearly endless opportunities for outdoor recreation.

[48:27] And whereas, Laplata County recognizes the importance of multiple uses of public lands,

[48:33] including but not limited to grazing, energy development, and recreation.

[48:38] And whereas the residents of Laplata County deeply value these public lands for

[48:42] their beauty and recreational, economic, cultural, and spiritual significance,

[48:47] recognizing that these lands are accessible to all.

[48:50] regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or gender, and this is evidenced by high participation in local stewardship,

[48:58] trail organizations, and events.

[49:01] And whereas public lands contribute significantly to the local economy,

[49:05] through activities such as outdoor recreation, tourism attractions, mineral extraction, timber sales and ranching,

[49:13] all of which contributes substantially to the Plata County and Colorado's economy.

[49:17] And whereas federal management of these public lands ensures that resources are managed

[49:22] for the benefit of all Americans, addressing complex challenges such as wildfire management,

[49:28] wildfire preparedness, watershed protection, and wildlife conservation.

[49:34] And whereas the costs associated with managing these lands are in national responsibility,

[49:40] and federal involvement is crucial for the long-term health and sustainability of these resources.

[49:45] And whereas the Platy County is aware of the actual or proposed budget cuts and layoffs at these agencies which comprise their capacity to respond to growing visitation numbers, management of rangelands, trails and trailheads, and comprises their collective ability to fight wildfire, I'm sorry, compromises their collective ability to fight wildfires and conserve these lands for future generations to enjoy.

[50:12] And whereas, Lepada County is an oil and gas energy producing county with a long history of balancing conservation needs with industry regulations, and there are currently federal regulations on public lands in place to curb pollution, especially methane and ongoing issue throughout the four corners.

[50:31] And whereas there are ongoing efforts to transfer or sell off our public lands,

[50:37] which are inconsistent with the values and interests of the residents of La Blata County and the broader Colorado community.

[50:45] And whereas the 2023 Colorado Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan revealed that Colorado Outdoor Recreation in Colorado

[50:57] Generated $65.8 billion in economic output.

[51:02] Contributed $36.5 billion to the state's GDP.

[51:07] Supported 404,000 jobs and generated $11.2 billion in tax revenue.

[51:14] Demonstrating the profound economic significance of public lands and outdoor recreation to the state and to La Plata County.

[51:22] And whereas the Colorado recreation industry in Colorado contributed over 17 billion to the state's economy in 2023, supporting 132,500 jobs, demonstrating the significant economic impact of public lands.

[51:38] And whereas the Colorado General Assembly has recognized the importance of public lands throughout initiatives such as public lands day and the memorialization of the Camp Hale Continental Divide National Monument.

[51:50] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Laplata County Board of County Commissioners of Laplata County

[51:56] hereby expresses its strong support for the continued federal management and stewardship of public lands within Laplata County.

[52:04] Encourages the maintenance of appropriate workforce numbers at public land management agencies

[52:10] in order to manage lands for the betterment of all.

[52:14] Opposes any effort to sell, transfer or dispose of these public lands without a public process.

[52:19] Opposes any rollback of federal public land's methane regulations.

[52:25] Encourages the Colorado Congressional delegation to oppose any legislation that would negatively impact public lands and to support policies that ensure their long term preservation and sustainable use.

[52:41] Recognizes the multiple uses of public lands and encourages a balanced approach to land management.

[52:48] And urges federally and management agencies to continue their collaborative efforts with local communities,

[52:55] stakeholders, and other governmental entities to ensure effective and responsible management of public lands.

[53:02] Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution will be sent to members of the Colorado Congressional delegation,

[53:10] the governor of Colorado, and relevant federally and management agencies.

[53:14] Thank you, commissioners.

[53:15] Thank you so much, Sarah, and for beautiful writing on that.

[53:24] All right, thank you.

[53:25] We will go on very briefly to commission reports.

[53:29] Thank you, everybody.

[53:31] You can stay to hear what we're up to, but that's up to you.

[53:36] Commissioner Church?

[53:36] Sure, this afternoon, I have a fire smart meeting, a C-CAT this evening meeting,

[53:47] and

[53:48] Thursday and Friday of this week and also a transportation planning board meeting on Thursday.

[53:59] So that covers this week pretty significantly.

[54:03] Thank you, Commissioner Church.

[54:04] Commissioner Zalca?

[54:06] Yes, just a couple items here and that is, thank you for just for staff for moving in the

[54:13] schedule around since I will be just for all your reference at 1.30 meeting with governor's staff on a bill, a bill for matters of concerns that you're all aware of.

[54:24] And so I'll be happy to report that back once that that meeting finalize finishes.

[54:31] But then also to, I will be attending, just let you all know, I will be attending tomorrow's Wednesday's C-CAT meeting.

[54:38] Okay, perfect, I've been asked to do an update for 1147 as well after today's meeting with staff at the state.

[54:47] And then I will be out of the office and back out of the office on Thursday and back on Wednesday.

[54:53] So I just want to let you know that I'll be away, but there is an executive session and I'll be logging in remotely.

[54:58] All right. Thank you, Commissioner Salka. Yes, we have a lot of interviews today for Board

[55:04] of Health, Southwest Library District. Tomorrow, I'm going to the Green Business Roundtable.

[55:09] And then we have a sword meeting. That's Southwest opioid response district meeting.

[55:14] Sea cat meeting is tomorrow night. That's an all-member meeting. We're getting in, we're in

[55:19] the thick of the legislative season. So that will be an interesting meeting. Steering committee

[55:24] meeting Thursday and Friday. On Thursday afternoon, I have a regional housing authority board meeting and then I'm going to the FLC presidential meet and greet.

[55:35] And then also on Friday pending our steering committee means how's that going?

[55:41] Fort Lewis College has their new building opening and I'll have to look at the invite for which building it is. I'm not sure it doesn't say my calendar.

[55:49] I'm sure it's anybody know what's their new building, it's not their health sciences anyway they have a new building opening that we will be I will be at so and then Saturday is is the earth parade and then there's going to be a real positive collaborative Earth Day event at Buckley Park for people who are interested in probably events in other parts of the county.

[56:10] That's it.

[56:11] All right, anything else?

[56:13] Madam Chair.

[56:13] Yes.

[56:14] I look to head to the next week.

[56:17] I do have a Forest Health Council leveraging resources.

[56:21] There's a State Committee.

[56:23] It's proposed three pieces of legislation to create healthier forests.

[56:27] That's an important group here.

[56:30] And then living with wildlife advisory board on Monday evening.

[56:34] So there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes.

[56:38] and a lot of people involved and committed in carrying the message.

[56:42] Thank you.

[56:43] All right.

[56:43] Thank you.

[56:44] Chuck, do you have anything for us?

[56:45] I have no reports today.

[56:47] Thank you.

[56:47] All right, Cheryl.

[56:49] I would note there is a financial report very important now as we look at our budget issues

[56:54] in our packet.

[56:55] So on that note, we will adjourn this meeting and move on to the board sitting as the marijuana

[57:01] licensing authority.

[57:03] Thank you again, everybody, for being here.

[57:08] recording stopped.

[57:30] The photo of this ring.

[57:33] Thank you.

[57:34] I don't like it very much.

4-8-25 Business Meeting

Agenda

Transcript