Education & Enforcement
The new Chaffee Rec Rangers program, managed by the USFS, addresses the need for education, maintenance, clean up and enforcement by adding four seasonal staff covering the busiest public lands in Chaffee County. The Rangers enable volunteers to help through the Chaffee Rec Adopters volunteers, who directly support high-quality, low-impact camping by signing up to steward sites using the new Campsite Collector App. Everyone is invited to help!
The Campsite Collector App is an important tool developed for this plan that allows the public and staff to monitor recreation sites using their mobile phone or tablet and a GPS connection to maps that allow everyone to assess and record on-the-ground data such as a new campsite location or a broken containment fence.
Chaffee Front Fire Protection partners with Chaffee County Fire Protection District for firefighters to provide education about current fire regulations and to spot smoldering abandoned campfires. Firefighters will offer user education while on drive-throughs on county roads in areas of intense vehicle-accessed dispersed camping use on weekends, holidays and on Sunday afternoons after busy weekends.
To support all of these efforts, the USFS adds a Law Enforcement Officer stationed in Salida starting in 2021.
OHV Outreach
Advocacy groups including Central Colorado Mountain Riders, Stay the Trail and Colorado Off Road Enterprise (CORE) are working to educate riders and rental/sales businesses to help manage impacts such as dust, noise and safety.
To reach all visitors before they arrive, the Chaffee County Visitors Bureau will inform them how to plan ahead and act responsibly in the outdoors through their new Adventure by Nature social media campaign funded by the county lodging tax. The Rec Plan will build on this to create a sustainable recreation ethic, including information in the Chaffee Visitors Guide and delivered through social and multi-media to specific user groups.