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Carbondale trustees back a site‑specific BLM approach to e‑bike access, citing conservation easement concerns at Red Hill
Summary
Trustees agreed staff should compile commission recommendations and submit a coordinated comment urging the BLM to favor site‑specific e‑bike decisions rather than a blanket countywide policy, noting a local conservation easement that could prohibit motorized use at Red Hill.
Trustees discussed the Bureau of Land Management’s scoping period on e‑bike designations and signaled support for urging a site‑specific process instead of a blanket policy for hundreds of miles of BLM‑managed trails.
Staff and trustees said two advisory commissions — the Parks & Recreation and Bike/Ped/Trails commissions — had drafted letters recommending site‑specific review, and that Red Hill Council and local conservation easements create particular constraints that the BLM should consider in public comment records. Staff recommended compiling key points from commission letters and from Red Hill Council into a single, coordinated comment and submitting it before the deadline (the public scoping window was described as open through the 24th/25th in the meeting).
The board emphasized the distinction between asking for site‑specific analysis and taking a position for or against e‑bikes on a given trail. "We are not taking a position on ebikes at the moment," a trustee said; the preferred position is that the BLM should evaluate each site’s characteristics, public‑use pressures and any easement restrictions before issuing broad policy. Staff said the BLM process includes an initial scoping comment period followed by a second public comment opportunity after the agency issues draft alternatives, and the board encouraged timely local input for both rounds.
Next steps: staff will coordinate commission inputs and Red Hill Council comments into a single letter for board review and submit it by the close of the scoping comment period; trustees and residents may also submit individual comments to the BLM.
