Commission presses Forest Service to speed NEPA, keep Proctor access open to protect tourism and timber plans

Residents and commissioners urged the Forest Service to keep Proctor Road and other forest access points open, warning closures would hurt local tourism-dependent businesses and hamper a nascent local sawmill effort. Russell Riggs, speaking for the Hatch town council, told the commission that loss of trail access would sharply reduce business for tour operators: “When the county brings in that ATV tour, his business increases by 40%,” Riggs said, describing the economic dependence of Hatch on trail riders.

Forest Service representatives, including the district ranger, said closures such as Proctor are intended to protect soil and road infrastructure during wet periods and to prevent damage that could require full road rebuilds. The ranger said crews inspect closed roads frequently and will reopen them when safe: closures reflect resource-protection and public-safety considerations rather than a desire to keep the public out. He warned that some sections, especially switchbacks, could require rebuilding rather than simple maintenance if they are driven while saturated.

Commissioners pressed the Forest Service on long NEPA timelines. Staff and commissioners said that some projects currently face two- to three-year NEPA schedules; the Chair reported the county secured $1 million for consultants to complete NEPA work for local timber projects and said former regional staff with NEPA experience would be contracted to speed processing. “We are gonna meet ... to target where we're going to draw the maps and focus priorities and put the resources,” the Chair said, describing planned coordination with the acting regional forester and state fire director.

Why it matters: Forest-road access affects tourism-driven economies in small towns across Garfield County and shapes the feasibility of local timber and sawmill operations. Commissioners framed faster NEPA and clear, timely interagency coordination as vital to both economic recovery and wildfire/watershed resilience.

What was not resolved: The Forest Service defended the closures as necessary in some conditions and emphasized staffing and moisture cycles as drivers of reopening timelines; the transcript records the exchange but does not provide a firm commitment to a reopening schedule or exact NEPA completion dates.

Next steps: County leaders said they will meet with regional Forest Service officials (including acting regional forester Ben Newburn and others) to prioritize project areas and attempt to accelerate NEPA with contracted consultants; staff will return with maps and target areas for expedited work.