We have a dedicated web page to the Mad Rabbit project where you can read the latest news. To bring everyone up to speed, Mad Rabbit is a proposed trails project by the Forest Service situated in Routt National Forest. Much of where the project is proposed is within CRAs (Colorado Roadless Areas) and elk habitat, including elk calving areas and summer range. A draft EA (Environmental Assessment) was released in late 2022, which led to over 700 comments being submitted from the public, mostly critical of the project. This was followed by a draft Final EA and draft decision notice to proceed in August 2023. We reported on its contents in our August newsletter.  That was followed by a 45-day objection period where one could object to the FONSI (Finding of No Significant Impact). We reported on who objected and why in our November newsletter.

Since then, the Forest Service reviewed and responded to the objections by the December 11 regulatory deadline. There were 89 objectors in total, but 51 were ruled ineligible. That left 39 objectors. The Forest Service consolidated the objections within those objection letters to 15 discrete issues. Each issue summarized concerns from the objectors, followed by the Forest Service’s response. You can read the Forest Service’s response to each of the 15 issues here, or on our website.

The Forest Service rejected all objections.

Simultaneously, the Reviewing Officer (Forest Supervisor Russ Bacon) sent instructions to the Responsible Official (District Ranger Michael Woodbridge). These instructions must be completed before Mad Rabbit is approved. These instructions may be found on the objection response document above, but it is much easier to read the consolidated version of instructions on the cover letter to objectors here. There are 15 instructions in total.

There is no calendar deadline for completing these instructions. Some are easy to add into the EA or Decision Notice, while others are much more challenging. We note that many of the instructions are specifically tailored to address the legal and process deficiencies that we and others identified in our comments and objections.

We’ve done our own internal review and found the Forest Service response to our objections to be inadequate and flawed. Sometimes the Forest Service left out key concerns from an issue, so they responded to a less compelling straw dog, avoiding the most powerful aspects of the objection. Other times they misinterpreted their own regulations, documents, and scientific studies. We’ve articulated our concerns in great detail in our comment and objection letters, and they speak for themselves.

We don’t have an estimate of when the instructions will be completed, allowing the decision notice to be signed. Rocky Smith, a long-time forest protection advocate, noted, “I have never seen a list of instructions anywhere near this long for any of the dozens of objections I have been involved with over the last 18 or so years.” Our observation is that the long list of instructions reflects the inadequacy of the original EA, and these issues should have been addressed a long time ago so the public could comment on them.

As always, we will keep you updated.

Wolf Reintroduction Update

Other big wildlife news included the release of 10 gray wolves in Grand and Summit counties as part of the state’s plan to reintroduce the gray wolf into western Colorado. There were two releases of five wolves each. The releases occurred after the US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a rule designating the reintroduced wolves as part of a non-essential experimental population under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act.  There was some controversy as local ranchers near the release site weren’t notified in advance of the impending release as they had been led to expect. At least one of the wolves made it into south Routt County, and we received credible sighting reports near Toponas. Reports of wolves in Moffat County were later shown to be false. CPW hopes to release five additional wolves this winter.

There is intense interest in wolves, and CPW declared at the recent CPW Commission meeting, “Much has been asked and requested and right now we are working on products and the kinds of those products where we can share wolf location information to the public. Obviously, there is sensitivity for the protection of those animals, but we are getting a product which will be released soon, hopefully in the coming week, where the public will be able to see on our website where those animals are generally located and we will update that on a very frequent basis. We know there are a lot of requests for that.”

Wolves will remain a controversial topic for some time, and you can find timely articles and breaking news on the reintroduction efforts on our Facebook page. There, we host the largest conservation forum in the Yampa Valley and perhaps for all of northwest Colorado. You will find some spirited debate at times, as we welcome both wolf advocates and wolf skeptics to civilly discuss the topic.

What we’ve been reading and watching

(Click on any title to read the article.)

Steamboat Springs artist creates sculpture with barbed wire and scrap metal

“Crafted from turn-of-the-century barbed wire and scrap steel reclaimed from Routt County ranches, artist Bradley Poissant has created a grizzly bear that stands more than seven feet tall and weighs 700 pounds."

Many local artists have impressive oeuvres of wildlife. This one caught our eye because trash is often the demise of bears, but here it is the celebration. Read the whole thing.

Steamboat Art Museum’s winter exhibit: “Wild West: Wildlife Masters Past and Present”
“Mountain lions, moose, bear, elk, deer, bison, coyotes, foxes – even the rare wolf. Routt County residents live side-by-side with wildlife. And that life can, in fact, be wild.”

The exhibits are open now through Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the Steamboat Art Museum.

Seasonal Trail Closures in Place for Winter Range Areas for Deer and Elk

“Approximately, 12,000 acres on the Routt National Forest have a seasonal closure of winter range for deer and elk in place. This includes trails such as Mad Creek, Red Dirt, Hot Springs, and Spring Creek. The temporary closures for wintering wildlife are a result of a long-standing USDA Forest Service partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Areas critical for wildlife habitat have been identified through years of cooperation, while at the same time maintaining winter recreation access for the public.”

Winter closures are essential for thriving deer and elk herds. These critters need to save the calories in their fat stores for survival and reproduction, not evading humans. Please honor these closures, whether mandatory or voluntary.

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If you would like to support Keep Routt Wild and its efforts to save Routt County’s wildlife and wild spaces, please donate at the link below.

For more information please visit our website, Facebook page and Instagram feed. Our Facebook page has nearly daily updates on news related to wildlife and conservation. You can sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page at our website.