Proposal for the Expansion of the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area
I. Goals
* To extend Wilderness protection to the Harrison and Green Creek watersheds by rejoining this area with the Sarvis Creek Wilderness from which it was excluded because of the then-proposed Catamount Ski Area.
* To preserve for current and future generations this area for low impact recreation, including hunting, fishing, back-country skiing and hiking
* To collect information relevant to protection of this pristine area, its watersheds and its fauna and flora.
* To educate the public about this area and to coordinate community support for preservation.
II. Physical Description of the Area.
The area consists of 7,200 acres of pristine sub-alpine forest that ranges from 7,000 feet elevation to over 10,000 feet. The area is bordered on the east and south by the existing Sarvis Creek Wilderness, on the west by the forest boundary and to the north approximately 100 feet beyond Harrison Creek and approaches close to US Hwy 40 at one point. It includes long meadows along Green Creek where the terrain is moderate. Soil in the area is granitic to loamy sand. Harrison Creek on the south side is dense, steep sub-alpine fir and spruce. A ridge separates Green and Harrison Creeks and another high ridge separates both from Sarvis Creek. To the west of the area are a private land development, a reservoir and the Yampa River. The west valley overlooks several historic homestead ranches. The Yampa Meadows Ranch has the closest proximity to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area. There is a ditch diversion located in the western side of the area that provides irrigation water to the Yampa Meadows Ranch. The area is otherwise undisturbed by roads, bike paths, homes or other structures. The climate is cool summers and cold, snowy winters. The snow pack run-off feeds the Yampa River.
III. History
A. Early History. Before pioneer settlements, this area and the valley below were traditional summer grounds for hunter-gatherer groups. Artifacts found in the area include lithic tools and arrow heads as evidence of prehistoric camps. A Clovis Point was recovered by a rancher while digging fence post holes. Native American tribes that used the area were mainly the Ute and Arapahoe. In the 1880s, European settlers began arriving in the Yampa Valley.
B. Establishment of Sarvis Creek Wilderness Excludes Green/Harrison Creek Watersheds. Congress approved the Sarvis Creek Wilderness in 1993 which protected this 44,556-acre tract. Originally the Wilderness plans included the Green/Harrison Creeks areas. However, developers for the proposed Catamount Ski Area requested that the drainage be removed from wilderness protection to be available for their project. The rationale was that Colorado’s proposal for the 1976 Olympics (subsequently voted down by a statewide referendum) had designated a ski area that included the steep terrain of Green/Harrison Creeks. As a result, the US Forest Service designated the Green/Harrison Creek drainage as recreational. Partly due to community opposition, the plans for a ski area never materialized and the ski area permit was abandoned by the developers in 1999. However, the recreational designation remained.
C. Routt County Sarvis Creek Area Plan (SCAP). Beginning in the early 1970s local Routt County citizens and organizations including the Citizens Against Lake Catamount, Club 200, Northwest Rivers Alliance and local chapters of the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society united to oppose the development of the Lake Catamount Ski Area and Dam. These efforts created the local conditions for the support and approval of the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area in 1993, creation of the Routt County Sarvis Creek Area Plan (SCAP) in 1996, and the 1998 removal by the Forest Service of the proposed Lake Catamount Ski area. In 1996, local stakeholders including representatives from the Routt County Board of County Commissioners, US Forest Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, landowners/ranchers and others, established a sub-area land use plan for the protection, cooperative management and monitoring of the Sarvis Creek Area including areas adjacent to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area, the Yampa River and parts of Pleasant Valley. This area had been under threat from two proposed residential and commercial developments: the aforementioned Lake Catamount Ski Area and Stagecoach to the south of Sarvis creek. The SCAP plan, building on the energy of the opposition to the Lake Catamount Ski Area and the approval of the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, documented the need to manage these areas as part of a larger ecosystem. Support of SCAP included these local partners: Routt County, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the US Department of Agriculture (Forest Service), the US Bureau of Land Management, the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District, Stagecoach Property Owners, interested citizens, and adjacent property owners including prominent ranchers. SCAP included a Policy and Action Item on wilderness that demonstrates the historic support for both the established Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area as well as the Green/Harrison Creeks watersheds. SCAP advocates: Policy #1: The management of the Sarvis Creek Plan area should be compatible with the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area. Action #1: Future land uses within the Sarvis Creek Plan area should be restricted in order to buffer the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area.
IV. Resources to be Protected
A. Scenic Beauty. The Green/Harrison Creeks watersheds, along with the larger Sarvis Creek Wilderness area, are a rare sub-alpine pristine region of unusual scenic beauty. The area contains no alpine tundra, in contrast to most wilderness areas in Colorado. In addition, its location close to population centers make it readily accessible for low impact human use.
B. Pristine Watershed. Higher elevation areas to the east being US Forest Service land leaves the watersheds uncontaminated as there is no agricultural runoff. The pristine water flows into the Yampa River and eventually into the Colorado River.
C. Fishing. Green and Harrison Creeks produce healthy trout populations.
D. Wildlife. Green/Harrison Creeks provide a rich habitat for wildlife. It provides winter range and spring calving areas for elk (see Appendix Map 2, showing seasonal elk movements through the area), as well as elk nursery areas. The Colorado Division of Wildlife estimate the number of elk using this habitat at 250 to 300. The Division of Wildlife conducted a multi-year elk tracking study that resulted in a 1988 report and map. Elk movement patterns, tracking collared elk by aircraft and ground observation over several years showed extensive use of this habitat. Beaver, while less abundant than in the past, still inhabit the area and are making a healthy comeback. Other species include pine martin, pine squirrel, snowshoe hare, mink, black bear, mountain lion, bobcat, red-tailed hawk, northern goshawk (a Forest Service sensitive species), and the area is suitable habitat for lynx (federally threatened) and wolverine (an endangered species.) See “Appendix: Biological Assessment Survey” for a more complete list of mammals and birds that inhabit the area.
E. Forest. Most of the region is forested with aspen and lodge pole pine on south facing slopes and spruce and sub-alpine fir on north facing slopes. The area has, so far, been relatively spared from infestation by pine bark beetles which have wreaked havoc on many stands of trees in other areas.
F. Biological Assessment. A survey of the biological diversity of the area was conducted by several experts and volunteers, during the spring and summer of 2022 (See attached Appendix: Biological Assessment Survey). It documents observed plant and animal life in the area. In a summary, the report’s expert author states: “This is an extremely rich area ecologically,and in my opinion, it deserves wilderness protection”.
V. Current Management and Uses
A. Land Management. The area encompassing Green and Harrison Creeks is part of the Routt National Forest managed by the US Forest Service. Currently, the area is approved for recreational uses, excluding snowmobiles. It is also part of the larger management plan recommended in 1996 by the Sarvis Creek Area Plan described above. It presently lacks wilderness protection.
B. Historic use for grazing. Parts of the area were formerly used for cattle and sheep grazing. It is no longer used for this purpose.
C. Historic use for timber. Timber cutting was done in the present Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area around 1910-20. No area timber was taken from Green/Harrison Creeks.
D. Water use. An irrigation head-gate on Green Creek lies within the region near its western border and provides seasonal irrigation for the Green Creek Ranch. The gate is accessible only by foot or horseback.
VI. Threats
A. Access roads, improved paths, and bike trails. With its scenic beauty and proximity to population centers, the region has the potential to attract not only low-impact visits, but also other higher impact mechanized recreational activities. There is local advocacy to increase the number of roads and mountain bike trails on public lands. Specifically, organizations representing mountain bikes have been advocating to build more mountain bike trails in the Routt National Forest and there is evidence of illegal “social trails” in the area immediately to the north as well as an extensive network of new recreational trails proposed to the USFS (see appendix Map 3). Elk calf/cow ratios have declined by approximately 30% in the past 15 years in Game Management Unit (GMU) 14 (an area immediately north of the proposed wilderness area). This is thought to be largely due to trail building and overuse: GMU 15 has seen relatively little disturbance from human activity, whereas GMU 14 has seen a dramatic increase in human disturbance due to expanding recreational use, and appears to be a significant contributor to the overall decline of the E2 Bear’s Ears’ elk calf/cow ratio. For example, the Roaring Fork and Eagle Valleys have experienced a 50% reduction in their elk populations, also partially due to increasing recreational use. Colorado-based non-profits Rocky Mountain Wild and Keep Routt Wild released a joint study quantifying the significant impacts of recreational development to elk habitat in nearby areas of Routt National Forest. In the study area, only 12% of the area was considered truly undisturbed elk habitat, an area totaling only 14,000 out of 124,000 acres. The study also observed that elk represent a proxy for numerous other terrestrial and avian species.
C. Timber cutting. While there is no timber cutting currently in this area, it is currently classified by the USDA Forest Service as "suitable for timber harvesting.”
D. Extractive Industries. Although there are no current mining claims in the area, there are more than a dozen now closed mining claims from the 1980s, and 1990s in the Green/Harrison Creeks area. An additional 10, also closed, are in the Sarvis Creek Wilderness itself and many more closed claims exist in the region to the immediate northeast (within-1.5 miles). (https://thediggings.com/land/wild534/map). Thus, there has been historic interest in mining in these areas, and future changes in resource costs and federal policies could make mining economically attractive. To our knowledge, the area has not been explored for oil and gas resources.
VII. Economic and societal impact
A. Low impact recreational opportunities. Protection of the Green/Harrison Creek watersheds provides a close-in area for low-impact recreational opportunities for Steamboat Springs, and Oak Creek, without impacts from mechanized recreational activities (e.g., mountain bikes and motorized vehicles) that would degrade the wilderness experience. Such mechanized activities have impacted many of the hiking trails in the area.
B. A pristine watershed. Protection ensures that this watershed, which provides pure water to the upper Yampa River and Lake Catamount is safe guarded and helps to preserve world class trout fishing areas downstream. In addition, the undisturbed region with its extensive shade allows its snow pack to melt gradually during the spring and early summer, helping to spread out the temporal flow into the Yampa River and to allow moist soils and healthy flora that help to mitigate fire danger.
C. Climate Change. Forests provide a natural sink for sequestering atmospheric carbon. Preserving these forest environments are one of the best weapons to fight climate change. The addition of Green/Harrison Creeks to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness adds 7,200 acres of permanently protected forest.
D. Fire mitigation. Wildfires, spurred by a historic drought in western states, have caused extensive loss of property and life. Studies of wild land-urban interfaces have shown that undisturbed native forests are more resistant to wildfire than disturbed areas or areas with brush and other types of vegetation. The lightly populated Catamount development bordering on the Green/Harrison Creeks drainages, consists of grassland, a reservoir, and low-density housing on large plots of land. Such grassland poses a risk of wildfires, such as the recent fire in Boulder, CO which burned 6,000 acres and destroyed 1,000 homes. The Catamount Metropolitan District perceives some risk and intends to collaborate with the USFS Fire Management Dept to mitigate fire risk along their Forest (eastern) border. Along that border a buffer zone, approximately 1000 ft wide, that would remain USFS non-wilderness is under consideration.
VIII. Local/Regional Support for the plan (ongoing).
Engagement with the public, organizations and government is ongoing through obtaining signatures on petitions and making presentations.
* Hundreds of signatures in support of this proposal have been gathered on iPetitions and on physical petitions.
* Endorsements have been secured from the Steamboat Springs City Council, the Routt County Commissioners as well as many local businesses and organizations.
Trappers Lake Sierra Club
PO Box 772746
Steamboat Spring, CO 80487
Appendix Map 1. Existing Wilderness (Green) and Proposed Wilderness Expansion Area.
Appendix Map 2. Red arrows show elk movement patterns in winter/summer/fall (solid lines) and fall/winter (broken lines). Movement patterns run through the heart of the Green Creek/Harrison Creek proposed wilderness area.
Fig. 3. Illegal Social Trails (red line with Xs) and Proposed New Trails (Solid Purple Lines)
Near Sarvis Creek Proposed Addition. Map and proposal prepared by the Forest Service for the Mad Rabbit Trails Project designed to increase the number of mountain biking trails in Routt County.
Appendix: 4
Sarvis Creek Wilderness Expansion Biological Assessment
Carried out: July 8-9-10, 2022 and August 5-6, 2022
Participants: Mike Crosby, Leslie Crosby, Jim Hicks, Mike Kintgen, Paul Stettner, Doreen Summerlin, Karen Vail, Woody, Wilson
During the spring and summer of 2022 I was contracted to do a biological assessment of the proposed expansion of the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area with the Trappers Lake Sierra Club. Two separate multi-day trips were planned to record the shift in plant phenology from spring to summer; July 8, 9, 10 and August 5, 6 2022. With the help of the above listed folks I was able to document a diverse range of plant and animal species.
This is an extremely rich area ecologically, and in my opinion, it deserves wilderness protection. Virtually no noxious weeds were identified. Fragmentation would diminish the landscape & #39’s diversity negatively. This unique area is worthy of further botanical investigation, as I’m sure we only documented a portion of the existing species.
All listed species were either keyed out or identified by myself or the folks that helped on the ground. To my knowledge, we gave our best effort to inventory this wonderful area.
Respectfully,
Mike W. Crosby, Principle Investigator
P.O. Box 71
Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado
8/18/2023
Grasses and Grass-like
Joint Grass
-Equisetum spp. x2
Common Sedges
Carex utriculata
Carex hystericina
Carex quatica
Wood Rush
Luzula parviflora
Timothy
Phleum alpinum
Phleum pratense
Mountain Brome
-Bromus spp.
Bulb Grass
Melica bulbosa
Green Needle and Thread
Stipa viridula
Needle and Thread
Stipa Comata
Blue Grasses
-Poa spp. x4
Rye Grasses
-Elymus spp. X2
-Foxtails x 2 Meadow/Streambank
-Rushes x2
Water Sedge
Carex aquatilis
Ferns
Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-fleming
Oak Fern
Gymnocarpium dryopteris
Holly Fern
Polystichum lonchitis
Bracken Fern
Pteridium aquilinum
Flowering Forbs
Giant Lousewort
Pedicularis procera
Spotted Coral Root
Corallorhiza maculata
Wister’s CoralRoot
Corallorhiza wisteriana
Fremont’s Geranium
Geranium fremontii
Richardson's Geranium
Geranium richardsonii
Eaton’s Daisy
Erigeron eatonii
Glacia Daisy
Erigeron galcialis
Chiming Bells
Mertensia salata
Oblong leaved Bluebells
Mertensia bakerii
Fragrant Bedstraw
Galium triflorum
Monkey Flower
Mimulus guttatus
Meadow Rue
Thalictrum fendleri
Colorado Bedstraw
Galium boreale
Monument Plant
Frasera speciosa
Willow Dock
Rumex salicifolius
Green flowered Wintergreen
Pyrola chlorantha
Curly Dock
Rumex crispus
Dock
Rumex densiflorus
Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid
Goodyera oblongifolia
Heartleaf Twayblade
Listeria cordata
Milkweed
-Asclepias spp.x2
Star Gentian
Swertia perennis
Fireweed
Epilobium angustifolium
Tall Larkspur
Delphinium barberi
Short Larkspur
Delphinium nelsonii
Buttercups
Ranunculus spp x2
8/18/2023
Monkshood
Aconitum columbianum
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Mint
Mentha arvensis
Lupine
Lupinus argenteus
Tall Lupine
Lupinus caudatus
American Sweet Vetch
Vicia americana
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Whipple’s Penstemon
Penstemon whippleanus
Twisted Stalk
Streptopus amplexifolius
Bittercress
Cardamine cordifolia
Colorado Columbine
Aquilegia coerulea
Eaton’s Thistle
Cirsium eatonii
Elk Thistle
Cirsium scariosum
Aspen Fleabane
Erigeron speciosus
False Hellebore
Veratrum californicum
Yellow Sulphur Flower
Eriogonum umbellatum
White Marsh Marigold
Caltha leptocephala
White Violet
Viola canadensis
Nuttal’s Violet
Viola nuttallii
Surefoot Buttercup
Ranunculus pedatifidus
Heartleaf Arnica
Arnica cordifolia
Meadow Arnica
Arnica mollis
Chamisso Arnica
Arnica chamissonis
Nodding Arnica
Arnica parryi
Fivenerve Little Sunflower
Helianthella quinquenervis
Thickleaf Ragwort
Senecio crassulus
Alpine False Golden Aster
Nodding Ragwort
Senecio bigelovii
Hairy False Golden Aster
Heterotheca villosa
Engelmann’s Aster
Eucephalos engelmannii
Tall Senecio
Senecio triangularis
Tall Ragwort
Senecio serra
Orange Sneezeweed
Hymenoxys hoopesii
Salsify
Tragopogon dubius
Mules ears
Wyethia amplexicaulis
Sticky GoldenRod
Solidago simplex
Three Nerve GoldenRod
Solidago velutina
American Globeflower
Trollius albiflorus
Wooly Groundsel
Packera cana
American Bistort
Bistorta bistortoides
Brook’s Saxifrage
Micranthes odontoloma
Red Indian paintbrush
8/18/2023
Castilleja miniata
Oregon Saxifrage
Micranthes oregana
Scarlet Gilia
Ipomopsis aggregata var. Attenuata
Nuttal’s Gilia
Leptosiphon nuttallii
Rosy Paintbrush
Castilleja rhexifolia
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Mountain Dandelion
Agoseris glauca
Hawksbeard
Crepis spp.
Huron Green Bog Orchid
Platanthera huronenesis
White Bog Orchid
Platanthera dilatata
Spicy Wintergreen
Galitheria humofosa
Side Bells
Orthilia secunda
Pink Wintergreen
Pyrola asarifolia
Cinquefoil
Potentilla fissa
Mountain Sorrell
Oxyria digyna
Rose Pussytoes
Antennaria rosea
Pearly Pussytoes
Antennaria anaphaloides
Western Pearly Everlasting
Anaphalis margaritacea
Hawkweed
Hieracium albiflorum
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Glacier Avalanche Lily
Erythronium grandiflorum
Longleaf Phlox
Phlox multiflora
Cow Parsnip
Heracleum lanatum
Licorice Root
Osmorhiza occidentalis
Slender Lingusticum
Lingusticum tenuifolium
Rocky MountainHemlock Parsley
Conioselinum scopulorum
Cowbane
Oxypolis fendelerii
Sweet Cicely
Osmorhiza depauperata
Wild Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Silverleaf Phacelia
Phacelia hastata
Mouse Eared Chickweed
Cerastium arvense
Wooly Cinquefoil
Potentilla hippiana
Red Clover
Trifolium pratense
White Clover
Trifolium repens
Sickletop Lousewort
Pedicularis racemosa
Skullcap Speedwell
Veronica scutellata
Musk Monkeyflower
Mimulus moschatus
Wooly Fleabane
Erigeron lanatus
Northern Gentian
Gentianella amarella
Side Flowered Miterwort
Mitella stauropetala
Shrubs
Twinberry
Lonicera involucrata
Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
American Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
Green’s Mountain Ash
Sorbus scopulina
Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa
Mountain Lover
8/18/2023
Paxistima myrsinites
Woods Rose
Rosa woodsii
Alder
Alnus tenuifolia
Grouse Whortleberry
Vaccinium scoparium
Bilberry
Vaccinium myrtillus
Dwarf Huckleberry
Vaccinium Caespitosum
Wax Currant
Ribes cereum
Whitestem Gooseberry
Ribes inerme
Sticky Gooseberry
Ribes lacustre
Gambel’s Oak
Quercus gambelii
Willows x2
Salix drummondii
Salix latia
Shrubby Norwegian Cinquefoil
Potentilla norvegica
Trees
Aspen
Populus tremuloides
Lodgepole Pine
Pinus contorta Var. Latifolia
Subalpine Fir
Abies bifolia
Engelmann Spruce
Picea engelmannii
Colorado Blue Spruce
Picea pungens
Birds
Mountain Chickadee
Plumeless Vireo
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Goshawk (40 19 55 N, 106 44 30 W)
Western Tanager
Dusky Grouse
Dark Eyed Junco
Northern Three-toed Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Ruby Crowned Kinglet
American Raven
Pine Siskin
Hermit Thrush
Dusky Flycatcher
Pygmy Nuthatch
Yellow Warbler
Steller's Jay
Gray Jay
Mammals
Black Bear
Moose
Rocky Mountain Elk
Mule Deer
Yellow Bellied Marmot
Pine Marten
Western Meadow Vole
Colorado Chipmunk
Moths and Butterflies
Stained Glass Moth
Painted Lady butterfly
Tiger Swallowtail
Moths x2 (pics)
Fungi
Boletes spp.
Russula spp.
Clavicorona spp.
8/18/2023
Ramaria spp.
Calvatia spp.
References
Ackerfield, Jennifer. 2015. Flora of Colorado. Britt Press, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, USA.
Denver Botanic Gardens. 2018. Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountain Region. Timber Press Inc. Portland, Oregon, USA.
Harrington, H.D. 1964. Manual of the Plants of Colorado. Sage Books, Alan Swallow, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Hitchcock, A.S. 1950. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. United States Department of Agriculture, Miscellaneous Publication No. 200, Washington, D.C. USA.
Kintgen, Mike. Denver Botanic Gardens. August 2022. Personal communication.
Summerlin, Doreen. USFS. August 2022. Personal communication
Vail, Karen. Karen’s Growing Ideas (Botanic Business). August 2022. Personal communication.