The 11,300-acre Bushy Creek Roadless Area is an intact, forested ecosystem with a mosaic of aspen, lodgepole pine, Englemann spruce, and sub-alpine fir interspersed by large open meadows, some as large as 100 acres. In Bushy Creek, the mosaic is interspersed with wide, open meadows -- some as large as 100 acres each -- which serve in part as excellent elk habitat.
Compared to most forests in Colorado, which grow slowly because of the arid climate, the Bushy Creek Roadless Area receives more precipitation and has very productive soils. Thus trees grow faster here than in most places in Colorado.
Accordingly, the area is excellent elk habitat and a favorite among game hunters. Located between 8,000 feet and 10,200 feet, the topography of Bushy Creek is unique. This rugged hill and valley country near Gore Pass makes the area ideal for challenging hiking and quiet outdoor experiences. Bushy Creek contains a striking natural feature called the Muddy Slide, a large natural landslide.
"We take people into the backcountry on horseback and on foot. Our clients come here because they enjoy viewing wildlife and want to see an unaltered area, unlike what they see at home. People who visit roadless areas such as Bushy Creek on our trips want to see wildlife in their natural habitat; they want to experience Nature untrammeled by motors and other signs of human industry. Road building permanently changes the Forest. Roads displace wildlife, making hunting and wildlife viewing on public lands much more difficult."
- Denny Stamp, businessman, High Meadows Ranch, Steamboat Springs
Timber Companies Take Aim
At least one timber company has zeroed in on the Bushy Creek Roadless Area, with the proposed Morrison Creek timber sale. Because soils in the Bushy Creek Roadless Area are highly erosive, logging could trigger landslides, degrade water quality, and ruin recreational opportunities. Clearcutting and intensive logging have already occurred in the vicinity of Gore Pass, causing erosion and water quality degradation. This makes it even more important to protect the Bushy Creek Roadless Area, one of the few remaining unroaded tracts in the western part of the Routt National Forest.
The Forest Service has estimated that a total of 1,150 acres would be cut, 14 miles of new roads would be constructed in the areas and an additional two miles of roads would be reconstructed to access the timber. The agency did not provide a volume figure, but based on the acreage and type of logging specified in the timber sale proposal, volume is estimated at between seven million and eight million board feet. In all, approximately 1,900 acres in Bushy Creek and 700 acres in Morrison Creek would become roaded, logged-over tracts, significantly reducing the current wilderness character of about four square miles of forest.
The timber sale has been suspended pending the outcome of legal battles over the Roadless Rule but could be revived if the Rule is not implemented.
Roadless Rule Would Protect Bushy Creek from Logging
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule would protect nearly 60 million acres of unspoiled National Forest land across the United States, including 4.4 million acres in Colorado, from road building and most logging. The Rule is under assault by the Bush administration, which appears intent on dismantling it as quickly as possible.
That would be bad news for Colorado and the more than 500,000 roadless acres on the Routt National Forest. If the Rule is revoked, the Bushy Creek Roadless Area and dozens of other equally beautiful roadless wildlands on the Routt National Forest could be logged or otherwise developed.
Roadless Areas Sustain Colorado's High Quality of Life
The Roadless Area Conservation Rule makes good economic sense for Colorado. Our economy and quality of life are tied to Colorado's outstanding public wildlands. Millions of tourists and numerous new businesses and residents come to Colorado each year to enjoy these special places, not to see clearcuts and sediment-filled streams caused by logging and road building. Logging and wood products industries contribute less than one percent to the state's pool of jobs. The Rule would not limit public access to roadless lands for recreation nor would it close any existing roads.
Coloradans Support the Roadless Rule
The Forest Service issued the Rule after three years of research and analysis that included extensive public involvement. More than 600 public meetings were held nationwide, including 27 in Colorado. More than 1.6 million public comments were submitted, including more than 28,000 from Coloradans. The vast majority of comments nationwide and 92 percent of those from Colorado supported the Rule or urged stronger protection for roadless areas than the Rule would provide.
