Purgatory has shown an interest in developing the Ice Creek lift pod (at the eastern extent of greater Hermosa Park) area for many years and sought to include it an element of their Master Development Plan (MDP) during its creation...
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Background Bighorn sheep are an iconic species of the American West. They call some of our country’s most rugged and remote landscapes home. Their cultural, ecological, aesthetic and economic value has made bighorn sheep a vital part of North American…
Photo: Michael Remke Fire & Forests Learning Series Part III: Resilience Post 416 Fire November 6th, 6-8 pm Powerhouse Science Center Durango, CO To close the series, we will direct the conversation to the lessons learned by our community…
Photo: Michael Remke Fire & Forests Learning Series Part II: Post-Fire Effects October 30th, 6-8 pm Powerhouse Science Center Durango, CO This second night will focus on the current conditions of our forests and the effects of fire, both…
Photo: Alex Pullen SJCA Open House & Wolf Creek Campaign Update Tuesday, October 29th 5-7 pm Pagosa Brewing & Grill 118 N. Pagosa Blvd., Pagosa Springs Wondering what the latest is with our decade-long campaign to protect Wolf Creek…
Photo: Tom Sykes The Forest Service has rescinded its approval to use chainsaws in Weminuche and South San Juan Wildernesses! We were surprised last month to hear about Regional Forester’s illegal approval to use motorized equipment in the form of…
Photo: National Park Service Chain Saws in Wilderness Update June 4th, 2019 Background On May 7th the Forest Service unexpectedly, and without any public notice or input, announced it would allow chain saws in the Weminuche and South San Juan…
Clean off those ‘No Pillage’ bumperstickers*, because here we go again. If you’ve lived in the area for long, you know the Village has a decades-long history. The short story is that a billionaire from Texas has long wanted to…
Below is our press release detailing our arguments against the Forest Service’s recent secretive approval allowing for chainsaws to be used in the Weminuche and South San Juan Wildernesses starting June 1. We’re asking the court to reverse the decision….
The Forest Service’s recent decision to approve using chain saws to cut out downed trees in wilderness areas might strike some as no big deal. But for longtime advocates for the wilderness concept generally, and supporters of the Weminuche and…
Photo: Alex Pullen OK, here we go again. Many of you joined us in submitting protests this last fall on the draft decision to provide road access to the Village. And for good reason. It’s not surprising they went ahead and…
Photo: Wikipedia Commons We’ve been advocating for wildlife, quiet use and watershed protections within the Rico West Dolores Travel Management Plan for a decade. Many of you have joined us in demanding that the region be managed for the those…
The Trump administration unabashedly promotes energy dominance above all else on America’s public lands. But even knowing that, it’s hard not to be astonished by the latest onslaught to prioritize oil and gas development on our national forests. We are…
Two years ago, we and our partners challenged the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the leasing of 20,000 acres in the Santa Fe National Forest to oil and gas drilling. At that point, the BLM hadn’t (and still hasn’t)…
In these trying times for environmental advocates, good news deserves emphatic celebration. And boy, do we have good news! As we previously told you, the San Juan National Forest (SJNF) has been facing the threat of a new era of…
Are they still trying to build that Village at Wolf Creek? Yes. And we’re still fighting it. In fact, we just filed an opening brief in the U.S District Court of Colorado as a part of our most recent lawsuit to…
As the father of a 3-year-old boy, I’ve become an expert on the topic of momentum. You see, my little guy has yet to cross paths with a hill he doesn’t want to race down. Grassy, rocky, dirt, paved –…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
“It makes me feel like bad decisions keep following bad decisions.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a remote landscape in southwest…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
“There’s a sense of… disgust and outrage with our federal agency employees who know better.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a…
This is part of our Wolf Creek Files blog series. Each post explains, in detail, the context behind an email or string of emails: who is writing, what is being discussed, and why it concerns us. Click here to see…
Our attorney’s dug through the “Wolf Creek Files” and what they found confirmed our worst fears: The National Forest Service was in collusion with developer Red “B.J.” McCombs, again. We’re sharing the evidence with you. Ever had the desire to read through…
“Where is that balance between economic development and sustainability, and preservation of the ecosystem?” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at Wolf Creek” development. Wolf Creek Pass is a remote…
“I think that the only hope we have to preserve this area is by the gathering of community to fight with political power.” For three decades we have fought to protect Wolf Creek Pass from Texas-billionaire Red McCombs’ “Village at…
Our attorney’s dug through the “Wolf Creek Files” and what they found confirmed our worst fears: The National Forest Service was in collusion with developer Red “B.J.” McCombs, again. Emails show the agency concealed and destroyed information about the “Village at Wolf…
“Isn’t that over? Wasn’t McCombs’ deal approved?” I keep hearing this, despite the fact that San Juan Citizens Alliance, and Friends of Wolf Creek partners, continue fighting tooth and nail (in three lawsuits) to prevent the construction of a massive…
The Forest Service is stalling again. Last month, partner organization Rocky Mountain Wild (RMW) won a lawsuit against the Forest Service for inappropriately withholding public documents that RMW requested in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) concerning the proposed development…