Responding to nearly 50 percent decline in its recreational budget over the last decade, the San Juan National Forest has prioritized its sites, deeming what areas are worth saving.

Recently, the Forest Service ranked more than 125 of its recreation facilities, which include anything from trailheads to campgrounds to docks.

Ann Bond, spokesperson for the San Juan National Forest, said that significant changes are required for the agency to maintain a sustainable recreation program. Those changes could include anything from reduced service frequency to newly priced fees to outright closure of selected sites.

According to the Forest Service’s rankings – based on environmental protection, social and economic factors – sites such as Chris Park, Cayton Campground, Chimney Rock and Target Tree Campground top the agency’s list of importance. However, other areas, including Ruby Camping Area, Madden Creek Campground and the Graham Creek Boat Ramp, fall among the lowest priority.

Brian White, San Juan National Forest’s program manager for recreation, wilderness and trails, said the agency will release its proposed plan of action for the forest’s sites during the week of Nov. 9. The public and local governments will then be able to comment on the report. The Forest Service hopes to initiate its forest-wide strategy in January 2016.

Over the years, Congress has allocated less money to the U.S. Forest Service, which has a trickle down effect on local agencies such as the San Juan National Forest.

“(Congress) over time is trying to trim the federal budget, and this is part of that,” White said. “The (Forest Service) is doing its best to allocate that money wisely. We don’t disagree with how it’s spent, we’re just getting less of it.”

One issue in Washington, D.C., is the rising cost of fighting wildfires, which is cutting into local agencies’ budgets. A recent U.S. Forest Service report said the six worst wildfire seasons on record have occurred since 2000.

A sizable portion of the U.S. Forest Service’s budget goes toward emergency fire fighting, but in a particular year, when demand exceeds the allotted funds, additional costs are taken from the agency’s general fund, thereby limiting local projects.

By August 2015, more than half of the U.S. Forest Service’s budget was consumed by fighting wildfires in the West, and agency officials are calling on Congress to create a separate fund specifically for emergency fire response situations.

“Climate change has led to fire seasons that are now on average 78 days longer than in 1970,” the U.S. Forest Service reported in August. “The U.S. burns twice as many acres as three decades ago, and Forest Service scientists believe the acreage burned may double again by mid-century. Increasing development in fire-prone areas also puts more stress on the Forest Service’s suppression efforts.”

As far as San Juan National Forest is concerned, White said the agency will continue to work with what it’s given.

“We’re at the end of the chain and take what we’re given,” he said. “We’ll operate our program accordingly.”

Recreation surveys

In a separate initiative, on Oct. 1 the San Juan National Forest began its National Visitor Use Monitoring program, a public-feedback survey that collects a wide variety of socio-economic data.

For the next year, contracted workers will visit trailheads at random across the 1.8 million-acre forest and ask visitors to rate their experience. The surveyors’ presence will wane during the winter months then pick up at the start of the summer season.

“It really has a lot of objectives,” White said. “Primarily, we’re looking at economics, getting some idea what the main economic drivers are, as well as just getting a wide variety of customer satisfaction.

“The voluntary questionnaire is not directly related to the prioritizing of the park’s most salvageable sites, but it is helpful,” White said.

“It’s certainly a useful tool. If a particular site starts to get less use over time, it’s probably time to invest less, based on what the public is telling us,” he said. “We’re really touching back with our constituents and the public, who are the real owners of the forests.”

White said the last survey in 2010 showed that overall satisfaction with the services has been consistently very high. He expects that trend to continue.

Bill and Deanna Collins, who have been hiking the area for more than 20 years, finished an afternoon hike Tuesday at Goulding Creek Trail, off of U.S. Highway 550 near Glacier Club.

Both understood the struggle the Forest Service faces.

“Given the lack of funding they have, they’ve done an excellent job,” Bill Collins said. “I think they do the best they can.”

His wife, Deanna, said there are going to be some difficult questions for the public to answer in the future.

“What are people who use these resources willing to pay for them?” she said. “It’s always been thought of as a free resource, but it really takes a lot of maintenance. You can tell the trails aren’t as nice as they were 20 years ago, but (the San Juan National Forest) is doing a great job with the resources they have.”

jromeo@durangoherald.com