From sweeping sagebrush basins to rainbow-colored badlands, the Little Snake Resource Area’s public lands boast some of Colorado's most rugged and wild landscapes; world-class elk, mule deer, and pronghorn hunting; ancient petroglyph-filled canyons; and excellent hiking and whitewater rafting. The entire Little Snake Resource area is larger than Maine but with fewer than 50,000 people.

Vermillion Basin is an iconic park of the Little Snake Resource Area. It is the heart of the wide open basins and sagebrush country of Northwest Colorado. Vermillion Basin provides outstanding scenery and cultural resources like nowhere else. It is an area that has seen little impact from man over the years, providing us a look into what the past may have been like two hundred years ago. Right here, in the northwest of Colorado, and right now we have the opportunity to protect a western ecosystem still vibrant and living, of which there are few left.

The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) recently released Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) propose strong protections for Vermillion Basin. The plan in many ways grows closer to a balance between conservation of resources and reasonable multiple use of the resource area. Included within the plan is the decision to close 77,000 acres of Moffat County's Vermillion Basin to oil and gas drilling. 

While CEC is certainly thankful for the BLM decision, we feel it is important to acknowledge that the Plan did not go far enough for other important landscapes, values and species.

While four of the seven Citizen Proposed Wilderness Areas (CWPs) receive partial protections, still-pristine lands with exceptional wilderness qualities -- such as Cold Springs Mountain, Yampa River Citizens Proposed Wilderness, Dinosaur Additions, Diamond Breaks and Pinyon Ridge -- should be managed to protect the solitude, wildlife habitat and cultural resources they offer.  That means ensuring they are closed to off-highway vehicles and wind energy development as well as excluding them from potential intrusion from right-of-ways such as electric transmission lines.

Also in need of protection is the Little Snake's outstanding greater sage-grouse habitat. Northwest Colorado is home to over 2/3 of Colorado’s sage grouse population and new management practices are needed to ensure that populations do not decline further. It is plain to see that sage grouse are at the cross-roads and the decline of this western icon tells us that our ecosystems are in trouble. While this plan takes some steps forward, it stops short of the serious effort the BLM needs to make in northwest Colorado if we are going to stop the sage-grouse's downward slide.

Approximately 90% of the 2.4 million acres of oil and gas supplies administered by the Little Snake field office are still available for leasing and development. Less than 7% (92,440) of the Field Office is closed to off-highway vehicles, limiting the opportunity for recreationists to enjoy the solitude and untrammeled nature. Nearly 75% (992,780 acres) of the Little Snake Field Office allows for off-highway vehicle travel on existing routes, leading to the potential for resource damage and enforcement issues until BLM is able to do comprehensive travel management planning---something they have failed to do in the past. The damaging effects of oil and gas development and unfettered travel pose real threats to the wide-open landscapes and rural western lifestyle of the region would be widespread.

While it is clear that this plan is a step in the right direction, we still need your continued support and voice advocating for BLM to adopt a balanced energy approach with attention paid to conserving our wildlife and wildlands.  To learn more about what you can do, visit our take action page.

For more information, go to SaveVermillion.org.