S1791-119

What This Bill Does

The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive conservation framework for approximately 400,000 acres of federal land in Gunnison County, Colorado. It creates nine Special Management Areas, eight Wildlife Conservation Areas, four Protection Areas, two Recreation Management Areas, a Scientific Research and Education Area, and designates new wilderness areas and additions to existing wilderness. It also withdraws certain federal land in the North Fork Valley from oil and gas leasing and transfers approximately 19,080 acres into trust for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.

Who Benefits and How

• Conservation and environmental groups benefit from permanent protections on hundreds of thousands of acres, including restrictions on motorized vehicles, road construction, and commercial timber harvesting.
• Outdoor recreation enthusiasts (hikers, skiers, cyclists) benefit from designated recreation management areas and preserved trail corridors, including the Gunnison to Crested Butte Trail and others.
• The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe gains approximately 19,080 acres of fee-owned land placed into federal trust as part of their reservation, though gaming activities are explicitly prohibited on this land.
• Scientific researchers and educational institutions, particularly the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, benefit from a dedicated 12,250-acre Scientific Research and Education Area.
• Ranchers with existing grazing permits are protected because existing grazing laws and regulations continue to apply within covered areas.
• Wildlife species, particularly the Gunnison sage-grouse, benefit from designated conservation areas and mandated seasonal closures for off-highway vehicles.

Who Bears the Burden and How

• Oil and gas companies lose access to federal mineral leasing in the North Fork Valley withdrawal area and face no-surface-occupancy restrictions on additional land in Delta County.
• Mining companies lose access to mineral exploration and development across all covered areas and wilderness designations, which are withdrawn from the mining laws.
• Off-highway vehicle users face restrictions limiting use to roads and trails designated as of the date of enactment, with new seasonal closures mandated in several areas.
• Timber industry is prohibited from commercial timber harvesting in all covered areas; vegetation management is limited to small-diameter trees and biomass.
• The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management take on new management responsibilities, including developing winter travel management plans within 3 years and conducting wet meadow and riparian restoration projects.

Key Provisions

• Designates 9 Special Management Areas totaling approximately 214,650 acres with restrictions on motorized vehicles and development
• Designates 8 Wildlife Conservation Areas totaling approximately 223,865 acres focused on wildlife habitat protection
• Creates new wilderness areas and additions totaling approximately 124,898 acres under the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993
• Withdraws North Fork Valley federal land from oil and gas mineral leasing
• Transfers approximately 19,080 acres of Ute Mountain Ute Tribe fee land into federal trust (gaming prohibited)
• Prohibits commercial timber harvesting and new permanent road construction in all covered areas