Do you or any community members have questions about the Bureau of Land Management’s recently published final environmental impact statement for a land exchange with Blue Valley Ranch in Summit and Grand counties? Per the preferred alternative, 1,489 acres of Bureau of Land Management-managed land would be conveyed from federal ownership to the Blue Valley Ranch in exchange for 1,832 acres of non-federal lands.

This proposal could privatize many miles of Blue River-front with a possibility of a few recreation improvements in other locations but no guarantee. Potentially, no public land access would remain along a privatized 10-mile stretch of the Blue River, a gold medal trout stream. The Bureau of Land Management prepared a new additional alternative for evaluation in this comment period.

Colorado Wild Public Lands is a nonprofit organization that works to keep public lands open and accessible, and we follow land exchanges throughout Colorado. We’ve been watching the Blue Valley Ranch process. See our comments and the land appraisals that Colorado Wild Public Lands acquired through the Freedom of Information Act on our website at ColoradoWildPublicLands.org/land-exchange-updates.html.

This is an important opportunity to express your thoughts or concerns about the land exchange by Aug. 2. See EPlanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/81162/510. Every comment period is an opportunity to amplify your voice.

If you have any questions about the exchange or would like to learn more about Colorado Wild Public Lands, please contact us at coloradowildpubliclands@gmail.com.