The BLM has been clear that the proposal does not undermine any existing valid rights or require the use of conservation leasing. Democrats in Congress pushed for the Biden administration and the Interior secretary to prioritize sustained yield and Republicans are sponsoring measures that would require the BLM to withdraw its proposed rule. The rule has all the hallmarks of a classic partisan divide. But they’re willing to allow for more time for the public to get up to speed. Mesa County commissioners were prepared to sign off on a letter asking the state’s congressional delegation to support measures that would kill the rulemaking. This would include compensatory mitigation work to offset impacts of development on public lands, but also potentially work by sporting or conservation groups for purposes such as restoring wildlife habitat.Ĭonservation leasing seems to be the cornerstone of objections to the draft rule. Instead of being the absence of use, conservation becomes a more refined tool - defined as both preservation and restoration - to promote sustainability.Ī central feature of the proposed rule is conservation leasing, which would provide for time-limited leasing of lands for restoration or mitigation work. The rule creates intentionality around conservation. Opponents of the rule are essentially arguing for the status quo - that things are fine the way they are.Īre they? The agency is developing the rule as a means of maintaining intact lands to help support wildlife, migration corridors and ecosystem function. That’s why we think it’s smart for the BLM to provide some clarity and reinforce the notion that its two-pronged mission can be achieved in a fair, sensible way.īut arguing over a rule that provides clear direction about managing for sustained yield is instructive. This tension is familiar as BLM land-use plans have whiplashed between policy preferences of different administrations. Perhaps shining a light on the pain - clearly spelled out in black and white news reporting - will deliver overdue change.Stay up to speed: Sign-up for daily opinion in your inbox Monday-Friday These frustrations have been felt by these communities for years. For a CEO who makes $312,331 and can’t answer basic questions from county leaders on how much taxpayer money they receive and how and where it is spent, that’s too late. We deserve to know where things have gone wrong. If that’s the case, the state and federal government need to launch investigations into this organization. Leaders across the Western Slope have said getting information out of Mind Springs on how it handles its finances has been impossible. Point is, we should not be expected to duplicate services Mind Springs is paid to provide. Mind Springs receives federal and state funding, so it’s completely unacceptable that several Western Slope counties have to essentially double-pay for vital mental health services through local taxes to make up for Mind Springs’ deficiencies.Įagle, Summit and Pitkin can afford it. The needs here remain unmet, and Mind Springs’ Raggio claims it can’t determine how much it spends on services by county. We definitely are looking at creating some programs - maybe detox, maybe crisis care - that would meet the need that remains unmet,” Rowland said. “We’re trying to determine which is the best path forward. Here in Mesa County, County Commissioner Janet Rowland said they are researching ways to possibly end some of Mind Springs’ contracts. Several counties in Mind Springs’ service area are going through a “divorce” with Mind Springs and paying, through local taxes, to provide those services themselves. According to Greene’s reporting, it is one of 17 regional “community mental health centers” statewide that long have been responsible for inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, outpatient psychiatric care, counseling and other forms of treatment for Coloradans on Medicaid or who are indigent, underinsured or in crisis. Mind Springs Health, led by CEO and president Sharon Raggio and headquartered in Grand Junction, is the private, tax-exempt organization responsible for providing behavioral health safety-net services in 10 Western Slope counties: Summit, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Mesa, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Routt.
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