BCNM Management

Browns Canyon National Monument (BCNM) encompasses 21,586 acres – 11,836 acres managed by the U.S. Forest Service and 9,750 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). On July 27, 2020, the two agencies issued Records of Decision approving the BCNM Resource Management Plan (RMP), which delineates how BCNM is managed.

In April 2019, the BLM and USFS released preliminary proposals for managing the national monument. Friends of Browns Canyon formed a coalition with 25 local and regional conservation and recreation organizations to evaluate and respond to these preliminary proposals.

After multiple meetings, online polls and email communications, the coalition developed our Sustainable Alternative – a set of recommendations based on the consensus of all coalition member organizations. Once the Sustainable Alternative was finalized, we garnered support from more than 100 additional organizations and businesses, including Chaffee County, the City of Salida, the Town of Buena Vista and the Heart of the Rockies Chamber of Commerce, which represents 524 local businesses.

We submitted the Sustainable Alternative to the BLM and Forest Service during a preliminary public comment period as part of the management planning process. The agencies then completed the Draft BCNM RMP, initiating another public comment period. Our recommendations were included in the Draft RMP, but most were not included in the “preferred alternative.”

While the Draft BCNM RMP proved disappointing, we and our coalition members rallied to submit comments in support of the Sustainable Alternative. We also organized a benefit concert along with a screening of our film, “The Spirit of Browns Canyon,” to raise awareness about the RMP.

Thanks to significant, broad-based support, almost all of our recommendations were incorporated into the Final RMP and will serve to protect the priceless natural and cultural resources this national monument for future generations. Since the Final RMP was adopted, we have formalized our partnership with the BLM and Forest Service to support stewardship, education and conservation efforts in the national monument.