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Volume 15, Number 37 | October 19-25, 2023
Securing the fate of a free-flowing Crystal River By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor Few would disagree that the Crystal River is a treasure worthy of protecting. This undammed, wild river is boasted for its scenic beauty, sustaining local agriculture, residences, recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat. The river has faced previous threats, including two dam attempts, one of which would have flooded Redstone. In 2013, the Colorado River District gave up conditional water rights for those dams after being sued by Pitkin County and other groups. Under the federal Wild and Scenic Act of 1968, the Crystal River was found eligible for that designation by the U.S. Forest Service in 2002. It would confer legislated protection, customized to honor private lands and existing water rights. Previous efforts to acquire this designation failed to gain the support of some Marble residents and Gunnison County. In 2021, as reported by Aspen Journalism, “Pitkin County Healthy Rivers granted $35,000 to Carbondale-based environmental conservation group Wilderness Workshop to start a public outreach and education campaign, with the goal of laying a foundation of grassroots support for the [Wild and Scenic] effort.” The Crystal River Wild and Scenic Collaborative was formed in 2022 to carry the process forward. This group later morphed into the Crystal River Wild & Scenic and Other Alternatives Committee in order to include perspectives which oppose federal intervention. A preliminary meeting this past April in Marble attracted more than 140 attendees from which a steering committee was formed “to discuss what they heard from the broader community and prepare presentations on management options for a second community summit,” stated a press release at the time. continues on page 5 The community is welcome to meet the Crystal River Wild & Scenic and Other Alternatives Committee and weigh in on the process, Oct. 26 at Roaring Fork High School. Photo courtesy of EcoFlight