Colorado & Green Rivers Recreation Resource Management Plan

Utah DNR – FFSL (Forestry, Fire and State Lands)

The draft recreation RMP can be found below:

About

The Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands (FFSL) is developing a recreation resource management plan (RMP) to gather detailed recreational use data for sovereign land river segments and to fully understand and more effectively manage recreation in these areas. The RMP process will include two seasons of recreational use data collection followed by analysis of the data. This large dataset, along with stakeholder input, will help FFSL better understand recreational uses and conflicts on sovereign land river segments. Based on stakeholder input and the results of the data collection and analysis, FFSL will develop recreational use management objectives to address and reduce recreation conflicts, overcrowding, and other issues on sovereign land river segments.

FFSL recently adopted the  Colorado River Comprehensive Management Plan  and the  Green River Comprehensive Management Plan . These plans assess current conditions and prescribe management goals and objectives for sovereign lands along the Colorado and Green Rivers in Garfield, Grand, Kane, San Juan, Emery, Uintah, and Wayne Counties, Utah. The RMP that we are currently drafting will supplement these existing plans. You can learn more about FFSL at  State Lands | Utah DNR – FFSL (Forestry, Fire and State Lands) . Please contact Tony Mancuso at FFSL with questions about the RMP planning process: tmancuso@utah.gov or (435)210-0362.

River Segments

Sovereign Lands

Definition of Sovereign Lands

Because segments of the Colorado and Green Rivers were navigable at statehood in 1896, the State of Utah claims fee title ownership to the bed and banks of those river segments by virtue of the Equal Footing Doctrine. The State of Utah considers the bed and banks of the river segments as “sovereign land.” The Utah State Legislature defines sovereign land as “those lands lying below the ordinary high water mark [OHWM] of navigable bodies of water at the date of statehood and owned by the state by virtue of its sovereignty” (Utah Code 65A-1-1).

FFSL Role in Management

The Utah State Legislature has designated FFSL as the executive authority for the management of sovereign lands in Utah, including the Colorado and Green Rivers. Because the precise location of the OHWM at the time of statehood is not known for the entirety of the rivers, FFSL generally manages the river from the top of bank to the top of the opposite bank.

FFSL administers state lands using multiple-use, sustained-yield principles. There is no hierarchy of uses on sovereign lands. FFSL recognizes that protection of navigation, fish and wildlife habitat, aquatic beauty, public recreation, and water quality must be given due consideration and balanced with the need for, justification of, or benefit from any proposed use. Implementation of multiple-use policies must avoid substantial impairment to any of these resources.

River Miles and Segments

One method of identifying features along the Colorado and Green Rivers is by using river miles (RMs) as reference points. The RMs that will be used in the recreation RMP are based on Guide to the Colorado & Green Rivers in the Canyonlands of Utah & Colorado (Martin and Whitis 2016). RMs in the plan may be slightly edited from Martin and Whitis (2016) for continuity between river segments. The recreation RMP will focus on four river segments because of their high levels of recreational use. The table below provides a description of the river segments.

River Segments

Literature Cited

Martin, T., and D. Whitis. 2016. Guide to the Colorado & Green Rivers in the Canyonlands of Utah & Colorado. Vishnu Temple Press and RiverMaps, LLC.

Participate

At the beginning of the planning process, FFSL presented information on the Colorado and Green Rivers Recreation RMP at a virtual public meeting. The meeting provided an opportunity to learn about the plan, ask questions, and submit suggestions. It was held on Thursday, March 11, 2021 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Click on the link below to listen to a recording of the meeting:

The draft recreation RMP can be found below:

FFSL will hold two in-person meetings and one virtual meeting for the public to learn more about the draft recreation RMP and have an opportunity to ask questions.

The in-person meetings will be held:

  • Thursday, June 20, 2024, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Grand Center, 182 North 500 West, Moab, Utah
  • Friday, June 21, 2024, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Green River Public Safety Building, 570 Main Street, Green River, Utah

The virtual meeting will be held:

We invite you to submit written comments on the draft recreation RMP by emailing cgrrrmp@swca.com or mailing comments to:

Tony Mancuso at Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands; 1165 S. Highway 191, Suite 6; Moab, UT 84532

Comments will be accepted from May 1—July 29, 2024.

Schedule

The schedule for the RMP process is as follows:

  • March 2021: scoping begins
  • April 2021–February 2023: data collection and analysis
  • March 2023–April 2024: development of the draft recreation RMP
  • May 2024–July 2024: public review and comment
  • August 2024–December 2024: preparation of final recreation RMP