Information courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service:
The Integrated Management of Target Shooting project alternatives and preliminary environmental effects have been released for public input by the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC).
The project, located in the Pike National Forest, addresses the need to provide opportunities for target shooting on National Forest System lands. It identifies areas unsuitable for dispersed target shooting and locations to be developed as shooting ranges. It also establishes an adaptive management framework to manage target shooting in the future.
Dispersed target shooting — where forest visitors set up targets and practice shooting in an undesignated, undeveloped location — is a legal use of National Forest System lands that increased in popularity over the past decade.
“We appreciate the comments the public provided in the scoping period held in January 2021. After considering that input carefully, we made changes to the proposed action and conducted the initial effects analyses,” said acting Forest Supervisor Jason Robertson. “This is a complex project occurring over a large area, and we welcome the public’s comments on these initial findings. Ultimately, we want to improve the safety and experience for every forest visitor by providing areas for target shooting while reducing the issues from shooting happening in inappropriate areas.”
The PSICC is part of the Southern Shooting Partnership, a group of 11 federal and state agencies, county governments (including Douglas County), and utility providers working to address issues related to recreational sport shooting on public lands. This project builds on recent activities of the partnership and is supported by a grant from Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the conceptual designs of each range layout. In 2019, the partnership surveyed public land users and recreational shooters, and held public listening sessions in four counties. The Integrated Management of Target Shooting Project incorporates public input gathered through these partnership activities. The public outreach activities have been supported by members of the partnership, including public meetings hosted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, virtually on Nov. 14, 2023, and in person at the Teller County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 15, 2023.
This announcement extends the scoping period for the Integrated Management of Target Shooting project until December 28, 2023. The documents and associated maps, as well as instructions for submitting comments, are available on the project website. To be fully considered in the analysis, comments are requested by December 28, 2023.
“The lands of the U.S. Forest Service are lands of many uses for the people of Colorado. From hiking and biking, to hunting and fishing, the people of Colorado enjoy their outdoor spaces,” said Douglas County Commissioner George Teal. “As the urban populations adjacent to the Forest lands grow, managing those various uses is essential to protect the land and the people who use it. Recreational shooting in the National Forests has long been an accepted use enjoyed by the people of Colorado and so it is appropriate for the Forest Service, in cooperation with local governments, to manage shooting through the establishment of dedicated firing ranges in areas traditionally used for that purpose. The dedicated ranges will provide safe, public firearms shooting opportunities for the people of Colorado on land that is essentially their own.”
“I appreciate the collaborative effort and cooperation between the Forest Service and local county governments,” said Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams. “Local leaders will feel the impacts of proposals, and regardless of jurisdictional lines, are directly answerable and accountable to their residents. In the case of the Pike National Forest, it continues to see a high level of users due to its proximity to the front range where most of Colorado’s residents live. As a result, the incidences of conflict have continued to increase. Safe shooting and the safety of our residents, property owners and visitors along with protecting all the uses in our forests is a top priority. The construction of safe, to standard, unrestricted ranges on federal lands inside of county boundaries will go a long way to providing an additional venue for our shooting population. I also understand that there may be areas, such as those close to populated areas, subdivisions, or critical infrastructure that may be restricted to certain uses, including shooting, to ensure the overall safety of the public. I look forward to the continued dialogue and the eventual decision and appreciate the ongoing collaboration.”
“With population growth, it is more important today to have controlled locations for recreational shooting than ever before. Having shooting ranges on designated public land is important to help with the safety of surrounding areas,” said Fremont County Commissioner Dwayne McFall.
For information specific to the project, please contact Pike National Forest NEPA Planner Jennifer DeWoody at 970-568-2692 or via email at [email protected].