The snow has barely fallen, but the 1.8 million acre San Juan National Forest is preparing for some serious belt-tightening this year, a result of expected federal budget cuts, which will affect summer operations, mostly recreation.
Things public lands users have come to expect like trail maintenance and campground management, clearing downed trees, trash removal and pumping toilets, will suffer, affecting access and the visitor experience. Wildfire management program funding will not be affected.
Nationally, the agency has lost funding and approximately 8,000 jobs over the past 20 years. This trend is on track to continue. In June, the House of Representatives’ Interior subcommittee recommended for 2025 only $8.48 billion of the Forest Service’s $8.9 billion request.
The SJNF currently employs 117 permanent staff members. Up to 32 temporary seasonal workers, 27% of the forest’s current workforce, will not be hired back (Herald, Dec. 8). The San Juan Mountains Association, the forest’s partner interpretive association conducting conservation education and stewardship on public lands since 1988, is not in a position to pick up all of the slack.
Last year, SJMA employed seven seasonal workers. This year, because of anticipated cuts, communicated by the agency’s Chief Randy Moore in September, and corresponding cuts for partner organizations like SJMA, they anticipate hiring only three.
The seasonal jobs on the chopping block do not include firefighting crews, but do include complementary fuel reduction positions. For decades, partner organizations have served an important role in public lands management providing visitor information services, land stewardship and conservation education. They raise their own funding in addition to what they receive from agencies.
The 2.3 million acre White River National Forest surrounding Glenwood Springs is the most visited in the U.S. with 17 million annual visits creating a $1.6 billion economic impact. It also anticipates a similar reduction in staff to the SJNF of 30 seasonal workers.
Moore recognized an already stressed workforce and ensured the agency’s 30,000 staff members nationwide that they will not be asked to do more. Stressed staff and forests, because of drought, fire, beetle kill and decades of fire suppression, do not make for a great equation in terms of forest health and visitor experience.
The economic impact on communities like ours, adjacent to public lands, is significant. Outdoor recreation and tourism businesses benefit, as do lodging, restaurants and retail. Public lands tourists pay our lodgers tax, which currently supports arts and culture and transit, with the biggest allocation (55%) going to sustainable tourism marketing.
Stephanie Weber, SJMA executive director, recently emphasized the need for the private sector and others to help fill gaps.
With recent discussions between the city of Durango and Visit Durango recognizing the interrelationship of housing, tourism and economic development and talks of a proposed merger, perhaps there is more for the city to do, on its own or in partnership with others? La Plata County, SJMA and Conservation Legacy’s Southwest Conservation Corps come to mind.
Visit Durango’s budget doubled with the 2021 increase in lodgers tax. Presumably, if the merger goes through, that money will be rolled into the city’s budget.
Visit Durango currently hosts a Recreate with Care campaign at durango.org/be-aware, but ad campaigns have limited reach. Staff members and volunteers really must get out to trailheads to educate visitors, as SJMA does, about Leave No Trace, and other topics, including not picking wildflowers!
In the meantime, it’s the holiday season and SJMA is again hosting its “Christmas trees lot for Conservation” through Dec. 22 (or until they run out) at the corner of College Drive and Camino del Rio in the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad parking lot. Sales of locally harvested trees and wreaths made by volunteers benefit SJMA’s forest health, stewardship and conservation education programs.
They also will likely need additional volunteers on the forest this year. Information about ways to support SJMA can be found at sjma.org/get-involved.
Those who enjoy our public lands, especially the San Juan National Forest, should always be cognizant and respectful of these lands, and especially so this coming season. As Weber said (Herald, Dec. 7): “The responsibility is going to be everybody’s to take care of the place we love.”
