If you’ve been following the future of the Lefthand OHV area, here’s the latest.
The first phase of the planning process, led by Keystone Policy Center, wrapped up in February. Keystone created a report of this process that does not make recommendations to reopen the area to motorized or not.
In the meantime, there’s movement toward the next chapter. NoCo Places received a $25,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to continue the conversation and bring stakeholders and agencies back to the table. These meetings will help guide the Forest Service in shaping what comes next for Lefthand.
So who is NoCoPlaces, and why are they playing a central role?
NoCoPlaces is a collaboration between nine county, state, and federal public land agencies across north-central Colorado, including the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. With limited federal resources and many forest areas seeing little active management for decades other agencies like Colorado Parks and Wildlife are stepping up to support their federal partners.
NoCoPlaces has been collecting data for several years to better understand regional trends and needs. Their work includes gathering public input, tracking visitation, and last year mapping unauthorized trails across the area. This year, they plan to make recommendations to land managers about whether unauthorized trails should be closed, designated, or monitored. Lefthand has emerged as a useful test case for this collaborative approach, giving multiple agencies a chance to support the Forest Service in managing the area more effectively.
That collaboration took shape at the first stakeholder meeting on July 23. Twenty-one people attended, including representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition, neighbors, Calwood Education Center, and groups like the The Watershed Center, Audubon Society and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. We were the only voice representing mountain bikers.
The meeting focused on updates from the Forest Service, including their current staffing challenges. Two of the three staff members who participated in last fall’s process are no longer with the Boulder Ranger District. Safe parking solutions remain a top priority for the area, but there are still no easy answers.
For now, this stakeholder group is still invite-only, and there’s no opportunity for public input just yet. When there is, we’ll make sure you hear about it. Stay tuned by signing up for our email list and following us on Facebook or Instagram.