Description
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado's 8.3 million acres of public lands, along with 27 million acres of mineral estate, are concentrated primarily in the western portion of the State. The lands range from alpine tundra, colorful canyons, and mesas in the southwest, to rolling sage-covered hills in the northwest. These public lands play a vital role in providing open space and contribute to Colorado's quality of life. The public lands and resources administered by the BLM are among Coloradoâ¿¿s greatest assets, benefitting local communities and our nation. Every year, BLM-managed public lands support thousands of jobs in Colorado and draw millions of visitors. Colorado's public lands support diverse lifestyles and livelihoods on healthy and working landscapes in Colorado's backyard. BLM Colorado's National Conservation Lands encompass approximately one million acres, or one-eighth of all BLM land in the state. In addition, BLM Colorado manages the following: â¿¢ 3 national conservation areas â¿¢ 53 wilderness study areas â¿¢ 5 wilderness areas â¿¢ 1 national historic trail â¿¢ 1 national scenic trail â¿¢ 2 national monuments The Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO), as part of BLM Colorado, administers 679,645 acres of public land in southwest Colorado. There is also more than 300,000 acres of federal mineral estate underlying private lands (known as split estate) and mineral management on 800,000 acres of trust responsibility for tribal lands. Included in the TRFO is the archaeologically significant landscape of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) that retains one of the densest concentration of archeological remains of any region in the United States. Archaeological and historic resources, or cultural resources, located on public lands across the TRFO are increasingly subject to damage from high rates of visitation, poor visitor ethics, vandalism, and looting. Many of these issues are a result of uninformed behaviors, a lack of appreciation for and knowledge of native cultures, irregular and/or rare monitoring, and limited opportunities for the public to learn about cultural resources in Colorado. The BLM TRFO is seeking a partnership to collaboratively establish and implement a field office site steward program to help protect Southwest Colorado's 13,000-year human history. Site steward programs use a corps of trained citizen volunteers who regularly monitor at-risk cultural resource sites to quickly identify and respond to vandalism and looting events and other site degradation issues. Site steward volunteers will visit, assess, and report on site conditions at regular intervals to enhance response to both natural and human-caused cultural resource threats and educate the public regarding the significance of such sites. Site stewards engage residents from local communities as well as landowners, businesses, and tribal nations, and land management agencies to preserve and protect our cultural resources. Under the proposed partnership, the TRFO and the partner would expand and enhance the existing site stewardship program, and establish standards for site steward training and reporting procedures.