March 23, 2019 U.S. Bureau of Land Management Attn: Shane Dittlinger P.O. Box 68 Kremmling, CO 80459 Sent via email: [email protected] RE: Upper Colorado River Wild & Scenic Recreational Floatboating Interest Group Comments on Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-CO-N020-2017-0028-EA Dear Mr. Dittlinger, As an avid river runner, I am writing to comment on the preliminary environmental assessment of the Upper Colorado River Special Recreation Area Management Plan. I am concerned about how the new day use permit system would be administered and I respectfully request further information about how the self- issuing permit system would be enacted. I do not support the restrictions on dispersed camping specifically in Gore Canyon (RMZ 2). Gore Canyon has not seen the crowding, sanitation, and environmental degradation from dispersed camping as in downstream reaches. I appreciate your office’s dedication to protecting the high value outdoor recreation along the Upper Colorado River and I support the efforts to mitigate impacts that are negatively affecting the river corridor and protecting the great recreation experience that currently exists. I also support the use of user data collected by a new permit system to be used for future monitoring of the river. Thank you for considering my comments during your recreation management plan process. Sincerely, Thomas Wolfe 59 Rogers Ct Golden, CO 80401-6515 3821 Adamy St. Columbus, NE 68601-2986 Mark Mueller Erik Bailey 1333 York St Denver, CO 80206-2214 5050 Pierre St Unit A Boulder, CO 80304-4444 Chris Baer Kathleen Henry Vagabond Rd Buena Vista, CO 81211 95 S Lake Rd Rock Hill, NY 12775-7010 Joel Wenblad Philip Schreiber 303 COUNTY ROAD 520 Fraser, CO 80442 1950 King Ave Boulder, CO 80302-8043 Andy Farquhar Jamie Knight 905 F St Salida Co Denver, CO 80201 3341 Yukon Ct Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-6132 Cole Moore Jeff Walters 940 Quinn St Boulder, CO 80303-2132 1255 Olive St Denver, CO 80220-2938 Katie MacKnight Matthew Mckenzie PO Box 1039 Leadville, CO 80461-1039 400 Palmer Loop Eagle, CO 81631 Andrew Althage Beth Mckenzie 32305 Meadow Ridge Ln Pine, CO 80470-9536 400 Palmer Loop Eagle, CO 81631 Michael Bannister Josh Parker 132 Pike St Golden, CO 80401-5538 59 Rogers Ct Golden, CO 80401-6515 Paul MacNaughton Anne Parker 852 Mariposa St Denver, CO 80204-4315 Rivers need to be Protected, Restored, and Enjoyed! Paul Donovan Suzannah Mikol 2503 Tremont Pl Denver, CO 80205-3139 1245 Josephine St Denver, CO 80206-3161 Claire Carren Emma Donharl 1524 W Oak St Fort Collins, CO 80521-2349 457 Animas View Dr Unit 6 Durango, CO 81301-9001 Cindy Fornstrom 3141 S Clarkson St Englewood, CO 80113-2805 Brandon Adsit 7119 Russell Ct Arvada, CO 80007-7681 Matthew Booth 310 Mcconnell Dr Lyons, CO 80540-3805 Kurt Randall 225 Girard St Durango, CO 81303-7938 Max Ryan 1109 11th St Golden, CO 80401-1107 David Farkas 230 Pinon Rd Durango, CO 81303-7629 Whitney Montgomery 37 Warwick Rd Asheville, NC 28803-2445 Malcolm Auld 1917 Wallenberg Dr Fort Collins, CO 80526- Harris Montgomery 1967 37 Warwick Rd Asheville, NC 28803-2445 Ben Milner Greg Yearsley PO Box 2138 Fraser, CO 80442-2138 3320 Zuni St Denver, CO 80211-3358 Andrew Grigsby 622 Teocalli Rd Crested Butte, CO 81224-9759 Chason Russell 144 Woody Creek Plz Woody Creek, CO Lisa Bigler 81656-8573 228 NW 11th St Corvallis, OR 97330-6006 Rivers need to be Protected, Restored, and Enjoyed! March 23, 2019 U.S. Bureau of Land Management Attn: Shane Dittlinger P.O. Box 68 Kremmling, CO 80459 Sent via email: [email protected] RE: Upper Colorado River Wild & Scenic Recreational Floatboating Interest Group Comments on Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-CO-N020-2017-0028-EA Dear Mr. Dittlinger, As an avid river runner, I am writing to comment on the preliminary environmental assessment of the Upper Colorado River Special Recreation Area Management Plan. I am concerned about how the new day use permit system would be administered and I respectfully request further information about how the self- issuing permit system would be enacted. I do not support the restrictions on dispersed camping specifically in Gore Canyon (RMZ 2). Gore Canyon has not seen the crowding, sanitation, and environmental degradation from dispersed camping as in downstream reaches. I would like more information about how camping permits managed through recreation.gov would impact camping at Pumphouse that are currently managed through self service station at the site. I appreciate your office’s dedication to protecting the high value outdoor recreation along the Upper Colorado River and I support the efforts to mitigate impacts that are negatively affecting the river corridor and protecting the great recreation experience that currently exists. I also support the use of user data collected by a new permit system to be used for future monitoring of the river. Thank you for considering my comments during your recreation management plan process. Sincerely, Nathan Werner 1902 E 11th St Stq Loveland, CO 80537-3236 Rivers need to be Protected, Restored, and Enjoyed! March 23, 2019 U.S. Bureau of Land Management Attn: Shane Dittlinger P.O. Box 68 Kremmling, CO 80459 Sent via email: [email protected] RE: Upper Colorado River Wild & Scenic Recreational Floatboating Interest Group Comments on Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-CO-N020-2017-0028-EA Good morning Mr. Dittlinger, as an avid river runner of nearly 21 years that resides along the Colorado river in Fruita, Colorado, I am writing to comment on the preliminary environmental assessment of the Upper Colorado River Special Recreation Area Management Plan. I agree with the BLM's preferred alternative, "Alternative C." I think the day use permits being unlimited and self-issued are a good idea. I disagree with the 1/4 mile camping prohibition from the Colorado river in Gore Canyon. Camping should be unrestricted in Gore canyon because camping use there is very light and in general, as an experienced private rafter, it is not a place most river runners are lining up to want to spend the night in vs. the day trip option in place. This is likely due to the difficulty of class V rapids in an isolated canyon, and the logistical challenges of packing overnight gear through the run, without an upset that has the potential of losing vital camping gear in the process. As for below Gore Canyon, I've always felt that camping below Gore and above the State Bridge, should be on a reservation system. This is primarily because of some unethical "camp grabbing" by some unscrupulous individuals that goes on unchecked. However, if camping is going to be permitted on this section of the Colorado river, I firmly and strongly believe that the river camping reservation system should be conducted through a live, human staffed phone line, like the system in place downstream at the BLM's Westwater Canyon (UT) permit system-and not the recreation.gov site. The problem with recreation.gov is the site is not a good system to book river camping permits with because of the near lack of actual human staffing and oversight. My experience is that there are some people who book the river camping permits online through recreation.gov and then simply don't show up at the launch and also typically fail to cancel their reservation at recreation.gov. This is already a common problem on the Colorado river downstream at the BLM's Ruby-Horsethief (CO) permit system. An example of this I've seen, several times, is for the popular Black Rocks camps in Ruby Canyon, respectively # 1-8, that were found online to be mostly all booked, only to get on the river the same day (or early the next day) to find no one camping at any of them. Having to call a real person on the telephone, in a real BLM river office has a way of garnering the public's respect for the river camping permit process, and their role in honoring their obligations in it to timely cancel permits they don't use. I am concerned about how the new day use permit system would be administered and I respectfully request further information about how the self-issuing permit system would be enacted. Mr. Dittlinger I appreciate your office’s dedication to protecting the high value outdoor recreation along the Upper Colorado River and I support the efforts to mitigate impacts that are negatively affecting the river corridor and protecting the great recreation experience that currently exists. I also support the use of user data collected by a new permit system to be used for future monitoring of the river. Thank you for considering my comments during your recreation management plan process. It has been a pleasure to share my comments with you, thanks for your time. Sincerely, Charles Szasz 1014 E Grand Ave Fruita, CO 81521-3109 Rivers need to be Protected, Restored, and Enjoyed! March 23, 2019 U.S. Bureau of Land Management Attn: Shane Dittlinger P.O. Box 68 Kremmling, CO 80459 Sent via email: [email protected] RE: Upper Colorado River Wild & Scenic Recreational Floatboating Interest Group Comments on Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-CO-N020-2017-0028-EA Dear Mr. Dittlinger, I do not agree with there being any regulation in gore canyon. The section is the most pristine on the entire Colorado River. Users of Gore Canyon are experienced river runners who understand proper river etiquette. I 100% agree that from Pumphouse down river needs regulations. It has become increasingly crowded resulting in a strong degradation of the river corridor. Hikers should not be allowed at the Radium Warm Springs.