WHEREAS groups of community and environmental leaders, State and Federal Agencies, and public and elected officials on the Western Slope have joined together to collectively and collaboratively study and discuss the economic and cultural ties between public lands and the local communities; and
WHEREAS these efforts illustrate that what remains of the traditional public lands industries are more critical than ever in terms of
- the dollars they generate,
- the agricultural open space they enable,
- the water sources they provide, and
- the economic stability and diversity they provide for communities otherwise faced with growing dependence on cyclical tourism dollars, and on social security, welfare and other government transfer payments, and
WHEREAS state and federal decisions on the management of public lands affects local economies, community diversity and open space; and
WHEREAS meaningful community input into public land management has been undermined by today’s climate of political and ideological conflict, internal budget shifts and policy gridlock,
NOW; THEREFORE; BE IT RESOLVED that CLUB 20 commends the work Western Slope collaboratives and encourages other counties to examine this method for bringing diverse interests together to enhance local control over decisions affecting the local economies, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CLUB 20 recognizes that collaboratives are strongest when they represent stakeholders from all affected place-based groups, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CLUB 20 supports development of a new approach to public lands management in which:
- communities have an initial leadership role in the development of local management options, rather than being restricted to a public comment role later; that they are part of
- the foundation in public land planning, not an not an afterthought;
- sustainable ecologies are balanced with sustainable communities;
- biodiversity is balanced with economic diversity;
- the community’s vision of the ecological future of surrounding public lands is integrated into the ecosystem plans for public lands, and
- annual budget decisions are developed with local knowledge and input.
Adopted 9/9/1994
Amended 4/9/2010
Amended 4/1/2016
(Formerly PL-94-1)
Amended 4/12/2024