Open space and public lands provide a valuable resource to communities and local economies. Appropriate planning is a fundamental component of sustainable land management. Such planning must balance the requirements of a healthy ecosystem with a variety of human uses including motorized and non-motorized recreation, energy development, and resource extraction. Federal and state agencies, municipalities, counties, and land trusts all prepare management plans to balance these goals and protect the natural resource values of the land for wildlife and humans alike. Our expertise at ECO-resolutions can help you identify opportunities in order to enhance and restore important habitats, watersheds, and ecosystem processes.

PAST AND CURRENT PROJECTS
Travel Management Planning in the Rio Grande National Forest
For this project, we conducted a GIS assessment of wildlife habitat and watershed values in the Rio Grande National Forest. This preliminary analysis was then validated and refined during a series of expert meetings with biologists and hydrologists from the Forest Service, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other local experts. The project resulted in the development of detailed recommendations and guidelines that were submitted to the Forest Service for consideration in travel management planning. In addition, we developed and tested an explicit methodology to provide a repeatable framework for use in other locations. This work was funded by The Wilderness Society and was conducted in collaboration with the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, the Quiet Use Coalition, and the Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance.
Project Timeline: Fall 2008 – Spring 2009