S. 1791 — Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act of 2025

This section defines 18 terms used in the Act, including (1) “collaboratively developed,” with respect to a project, as one developed and implemented through a transparent process involving multiple interested persons representing diverse interests or meeting resource advisory committee requirements; (2) “County” as Gunnison County, Colorado; (3) “covered area” as each of the special management areas, wildlife conservation areas, protection areas, recreation management areas, and scientific research and education area; (4) “decommission,” with respect to a road, as reestablishing native vegetation, restoring natural drainage and ecological processes, blocking vehicular traffic where feasible, and implementing invasive species monitoring; (5) “wildland-urban interface” as land within a covered area that is within 1/4 mile of interface and intermix areas mapped in the Department of Agriculture’s 2010 “Wildland-Urban Interface of the Conterminous United States”; and (6) terms incorporating regulatory definitions such as “ecological integrity,” “off-highway vehicle,” “over-snow vehicle,” “restore,” and “winter travel management plan.”

This section designates nine special management areas (SMAs) totaling approximately 214,650 acres on federal lands in the county managed by the Forest Service and, in four instances, also the Bureau of Land Management—(1) American Flag SMA (36,171 acres), (2) Beckwiths SMA (24,031 acres), (3) Clear Fork SMA (37,998 acres), (4) McIntosh Mountain SMA (22,497 acres), (5) North Poverty Gulch SMA (5,476 acres), (6) Pilot Knob SMA (16,973 acres), (7) Signal Peak SMA (28,345 acres), (8) Union Park SMA (22,483 acres), and (9) Whetstone Headwaters SMA (20,676 acres)—as generally depicted on specified maps entitled "Sheet [number]: [name]" and dated August 27, 2024, subject to valid existing rights. The purpose of the SMAs is to conserve, protect, and enhance their natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, recreation, and wildlife resources for present and future generations. The Secretary shall manage the SMAs to further that purpose in accordance with the Act and applicable laws, allowing only uses determined to advance it; off-highway vehicles and bicycles are permitted solely on roads, trails, and areas so designated as of enactment (except for administrative, emergency, or authorized uses), with the Secretary required to adopt winter travel management plans within three years for applicable portions lacking them (permitting interim over-snow vehicle use per existing plans) and able to designate certain potential trails (e.g., Big Grassy Trail and others) for such use.

This section designates eight wildlife conservation areas comprising approximately 223,865 acres of federal land in Gunnison County, Colorado (and the Sawtooth Wildlife Conservation Area extending into Saguache County), managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and/or Forest Service and subject to valid existing rights, as generally depicted on maps dated August 27, 2024: (1) Cabin Creek Wildlife Conservation Area (29,518 acres); (2) Flat Top Wildlife Conservation Area (28,844 acres); (3) Lake Gulch and Cebolla Creek Wildlife Conservation Area (50,535 acres); (4) Matchless Wildlife Conservation Area (12,975 acres); (5) Munsey Creek Wildlife Conservation Area (3,281 acres); (6) Pinnacles Wildlife Conservation Area (27,935 acres); (7) Powderhorn Wildlife Conservation Area (27,668 acres); and (8) Sawtooth Wildlife Conservation Area (43,109 acres). The purposes of the areas are to conserve, protect, enhance, and restore wildlife and wildlife habitat, as well as natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, and recreation resources, for present and future generations. The Secretary must manage the areas to further these purposes and applicable laws, allowing only uses determined to advance them; off-highway vehicles and bicycles are permitted only on roads, trails, and areas designated for such use as of enactment (with exceptions for administrative purposes, emergencies, and over-snow vehicles pending adoption of winter travel management plans within three years where none exist); such uses are prohibited in the Matchless Wildlife Conservation Area except as authorized; and bicycles may be permitted on designated potential trails. This section does not affect potential development, under applicable law, of the proposed Gunnison to Crested Butte Trail in the Flat Top Wildlife Conservation Area or the proposed Crested Butte to Carbondale Trail in the Munsey Creek Wildlife Conservation Area.

This section designates four protection areas on approximately 20,542 acres of federal land in Gunnison County managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, subject to valid existing rights: (1) Castle Protection Area (~6,390 acres); (2) Deer Creek Protection Area (~3,136 acres); (3) Granite Basin Protection Area (~9,666 acres); and (4) South Poverty Gulch Protection Area (~1,350 acres). The purposes of these areas are to protect their natural and undeveloped character and to conserve their natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, recreation, and wildlife resources for present and future generations. The Secretary must manage the areas to further these purposes in accordance with the Act and applicable laws, allowing only compatible uses; prohibits off-highway vehicle use except for administrative purposes or emergencies (with over-snow vehicles permitted in the Deer Creek Protection Area on existing designated roads, trails, and areas); and permits bicycles only on existing designated roads and trails, for administrative or emergency purposes, or on three specified proposed trails (Deer Creek to Brush Creek Connector Trail, Eccher Exit Trail, and Lower Loop Trail Extension) if designated by the Secretary.

This section designates two recreation management areas on Forest Service land in the county, subject to valid existing rights: (1) the Double Top Recreation Management Area, comprising approximately 14,734 acres as generally depicted on map Sheet 4 entitled “Brush Creek, Cement Creek, and Spring Creek” dated August 27, 2024; and (2) the Horse Ranch Park Recreation Management Area, comprising approximately 3,513 acres as generally depicted on map Sheet 3 entitled “Kebler and Schofield Pass” dated August 27, 2024. The areas are to be managed to improve recreation resources and to conserve and enhance natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, and wildlife resources for present and future generations, with only uses permitted that further these purposes. In the Double Top Recreation Management Area, off-highway vehicles and bicycles are permitted only on roads and trails designated for such use as of enactment; over-snow vehicles are prohibited except for administrative purposes or emergencies (including support for the Grand Traverse skiing event as permitted by the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests). In the Horse Ranch Park Recreation Management Area, off-highway vehicles are prohibited except for over-snow vehicles on roads, trails, and areas designated as of enactment or as needed for administrative purposes or emergencies; bicycles are permitted only on such designated roads, trails, and areas, for administrative or emergency purposes, or if designated by the Secretary for potential trails. This section does not affect potential development, in accordance with applicable law, of the proposed Crested Butte to Paonia Trail, Crested Butte to Carbondale Trail, or Dark Canyon Loop Trail in that area.

This section designates approximately 12,250 acres of Forest Service-managed federal land, as generally depicted on the map entitled “Sheet 3: Kebler and Schofield Pass” dated August 27, 2024, as the Rocky Mountain Scientific Research and Education Area to (1) encourage and preserve conditions for ecological, evolutionary, geological, biogeochemical, climatological, biological, meteorological, and other natural science research and education; (2) provide opportunities for emerging research and education techniques; and (3) conserve, protect, and enhance natural, scenic, scientific, cultural, watershed, recreation, and wildlife resources. The Secretary must manage the area to further these purposes and in accordance with applicable laws, permitting only compatible uses, including off-highway vehicles only on roads designated as of enactment (except for administrative or emergency purposes) and bicycles only on roads and trails designated as of enactment or newly designated if consistent with the research and education purposes. This section does not limit the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory's authority to conduct scientific research or education activities inside or outside the area.

This section designates three new wilderness areas comprising approximately 23,550 acres in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests and White River National Forest—Matchless Wilderness (8,656 acres), East Cement Wilderness (7,684 acres), and Star Peak Wilderness (7,210 acres)—as generally depicted on maps entitled "Sheet 4: Brush Creek, Cement Creek, and Spring Creek" dated August 27, 2024. This section also amends the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add approximately 99,352 acres to existing wilderness areas, as generally depicted on specified maps dated August 27, 2024: (1) 2,096 acres (Crystal Creek Wilderness Addition and Lottis Creek Wilderness Addition); (2) 11,780 acres (Poverty Gulch, Treasure, and Erickson Springs Wilderness Additions) to a wilderness area in the Gunnison and White River National Forests (previously Gunnison only); (3) 3,321 acres (Deer Creek and Ashcroft Wilderness Additions) to the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness; (4) 58,603 acres (Lamborn, Castle, Beaver, Steuben Creek, East Elk Creek, Dillon Mesa, Soap Creek, and Curecanti Wilderness Additions) from BLM Gunnison Field Office lands, GMUG National Forests, and Curecanti National Recreation Area to the West Elk Wilderness; (5) 13,948 acres to the Uncompahgre Wilderness; and (6) 9,604 acres from BLM Gunnison Field Office lands to the Powderhorn Wilderness. This section (1) deems references to the effective date of the Wilderness Act or Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to mean the date of enactment of this Act for administering these areas; (2) authorizes the Secretary to control fire, insects, and diseases within the new wilderness areas under section 4(d)(1) of the Wilderness Act; (3) modifies the West Elk Wilderness boundary to exclude approximately 15 acres (West Elk Wilderness Boundary Pullback, Sheet 3: Kebler and Schofield Pass, dated August 27, 2024) and withdraws the excluded land from public land laws, mining laws, and mineral/geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights; and (4) releases non-designated lands within the Powderhorn Wilderness Study Area from further wilderness review under section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.

This section (1) withdraws federal land in Delta County, Colorado, as generally depicted as “Oil and Gas Withdrawal” on the map entitled “Sheet 6: North Fork Valley” dated August 27, 2024, from operation of the mineral leasing laws with respect to oil and gas, subject to valid existing rights, while allowing the Secretary of the Interior to authorize use or destruction of methane gas leaking from active or inactive federal coal leases or certain abandoned coal mines where the federal interest includes mineral rights; (2) imposes a no surface occupancy restriction, subject to valid existing rights, on federal land in Delta County, Colorado, as generally depicted as “Oil and Gas No Surface Occupancy” on the map entitled “Sheet 1: Electric Mountain” dated August 27, 2024, with respect to oil and gas exploration, development, production, and distribution; and (3) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to transfer a special recreation use permit for pre-designation motorized boat use on the Gunnison River in the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Area, notwithstanding limitations in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Approved Resource Management Plan dated November 2004 and subject to the Wilderness Act, if a federal, state, or local government acquires permanent public access to the Gunnison Forks Day Use Area boat ramp with reasonable fees.

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior, upon request by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and not later than one year after the date of enactment, to take into trust for the tribe approximately 19,080 acres of land owned in fee by the tribe, subject to valid existing rights and as generally depicted on the map entitled “Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; Pinecrest Ranch—Fee to Trust Legislation” dated September 20, 2024. The land becomes part of the tribe's reservation and is administered under laws and regulations applicable to federal trust property for Indian tribes, but is ineligible for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The Secretary must complete a boundary survey within one year after enactment if the land is taken into trust, and the provision does not affect the county's rights, title, interests, or jurisdiction in County Road 25 or its right-of-way.

This section establishes general management provisions for the covered areas and wilderness areas designated by the Act, including (1) requirements for the Secretary to file maps and legal descriptions with specified congressional committees, with such documents having legal force and being publicly available; (2) authorization for the Secretary to acquire land or interests therein only by exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing seller, with acquired lands managed as part of the relevant area; (3) withdrawal of the areas from all forms of entry, appropriation, disposal under public land laws, mining laws, and mineral leasing, mining materials, and geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights; (4) preservation of state jurisdiction over fish and wildlife, continuation of existing grazing permits and policies, and no effect on existing state-decreed water rights; (5) authority for the Secretary to manage wildland fire, hazardous fuels, insects, and diseases, with coordination as needed; (6) prohibition on commercial timber harvesting and on new roads except temporary roads for authorized vegetation management projects (to be decommissioned within three years of project completion), emergencies, or scientific equipment transport, and allowance for trail rerouting; (7) limits on vegetation management projects outside the wildland-urban interface to collaboratively developed ecological restoration focused on small-diameter trees or biomass, retention of old growth and large trees, and prescribed fire; (8) a prohibition on buffer zones around the areas; (9) direction to implement seasonal closures for off-highway vehicles and bicycles in specified wildlife conservation and special management areas to protect wildlife habitat; and (10) direction to conduct wet meadow and riparian restoration projects in specified special management areas to improve climate resiliency and wildlife habitat.