During the Grand County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Oct. 1, the commissioners approved signing a letter of support for the Bureau of Land Management’s application for funds from the Bureau of Reclamation.
The BLM is seeking funds for a project that affects a half-mile of land on the Fraser River referred to as the “Fraser River Canyon site,” a 2-mile section of the Colorado River at Blue Valley Ranch southwest of Kremmling referred to as the “Confluence Recreation Area site” and nine parcels of land managed by BLM along 1.7 miles on the Colorado River near Kremmling, referred to as the “Junction Butte sites.”
“Enhancing Habitat in Drought-Impacted Colorado River Headwaters” is the name of the Bureau of Land Management’s project. The project’s scope includes modifications to maintain suitable aquatic habitat in areas with reduced stream flows, reducing stream temperatures, alleviate problems with the sedimentation and erosion, revegetation and building drought resiliency.
Currently, the Confluence Recreation Area site is undergoing a change in ownership through the Blue Valley Ranch land exchange decision, which authorizes the BLM to exchange nine parcels of federal land totaling 1,489 acres in Grand County for nine parcels acres of private land totaling 1,830 acres in Grand and Summit counties. This exchange expands access along the Blue River near its confluence with the Colorado River. Additionally, this exchange adds an additional 1.66 miles of hike-in access to the Blue River that is currently inaccessible except by floating, according to BLM’s grant application.
The total amount of funds requested has not yet been determined.
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