Open Houses Scheduled for Forest Service Recreational Sport Shooting Management Project

Attendees can view alternative maps and talk with Partnership representatives

The Northern Front Range Recreational Sport Shooting Management Partnership (Partnership) is hosting open houses in four counties (Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Larimer) to present alternative maps for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests Recreational Sport Shooting Management Project (RSSMP).

The RSSMP will provide direction on how recreational sport shooting will be managed on National Forest System lands, as the current Forest Plan does not provide direction for recreational sport shooting. A map depicting the initial proposal was released to the public in August 2015. New maps have been created that depict options for future management that were based on input from the public and other entities. The proposed RSSMP only changes where recreational sport shooting may or may not take place and direction with regard to developed shooting opportunities. It does not include any change to the management of lawful hunting activities.

The Partnership has been an integral part of this project and the alternative map development. Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Larimer counties, along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, are cooperating agencies in this planning process. The Partnership will gather public input on these alternative maps as an extension of the project’s scoping process and provide summaries to the Forest Service.

The open houses will be held at the following locations and times:

• Clear Creek County
  Nov. 2, 6-7:30 p.m.
  Idaho Springs City Hall, 1711 Miner Street, Idaho Springs
• Gilpin County
  Nov 6, 6:30-8 p.m.
  Community Center, 250 Norton Drive, Black Hawk
• Boulder County
  Nov. 13, 6:30-8 p.m.
  Boulder County Courthouse, Commissioners’ Hearing Room 3^rd Floor, 1325 Pearl Street, Boulder
• Larimer County
  Nov. 16, 6-7:30 p.m.
  Larimer County Courthouse Offices 1^st Floor Hearing Room, 200 West Oak, Fort Collins

Members of the Partnership, including the Forest Service, will be in attendance at each open house to answer questions related to the four alternative maps. There will be no formal presentation – just a brief project introduction. These open houses are an informal opportunity to look closely at the maps and provide input. Information gathered during this process will be incorporated into finalizing the environmental assessment and draft decision, expected in 2018.

Project introductions at each open house will be live streamed on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SportShootingPartners and links to high quality PDFs of the maps will be available for viewing later this week at www.SportShootingPartners.org.

For any members of the public who cannot attend an open house but would like to comment on the alternative maps online, there is a short comment form available at www.SportShootingPartners.org/commentform.

For more information about the open houses or the Sport Shooting Partnership in general, contact Garry Sanfacon at 720-564-2642or info@nullsportshootingpartners.org.