Steinhoff Hill proposed mining issue
heather...@gmail.com
Dear Commissioners Kefalas, Shadduck-McNally, and Stephens,
It has been some time since we have heard about the Steinhoff Hill mining issue. I appreciate your previous communications. However, I wanted to check in and reiterate our concern about a future of a proposed mining operation at the site and strongly encourage you to find a more appropriate location.
I understand that our roads need to be maintained and that mining for that material needs to happen somewhere. However, because mining operations cause impacts on the ground, to both people and wildlife, it is critical to choose locations that are compatible with the surrounding land uses and livelihoods.
The Steinhoff Hill property lies within a special landscape. It is surrounded by conserved private ranch lands on 3 sides and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Lower Cherokee State Wildlife area on the other. Landowners have given up their private property rights forever and have dedicated them to ranching and wildlife conservation. This is a gift to all citizens that guarantees good stewardship for our natural heritage and local healthy food production. Mining is not compatible because it is an extractive use that will negatively impact these surrounding land uses.
This is part of a critical corridor for wildlife which moves across Steinhoff Hill and onto the private parcels and CPW lands. In recent years, the fence on the property was replaced by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and their partners to meet wildlife friendly specifications; thereby making wildlife movements easier. Because the property has had very little human activity over time (cattle grazing and limited hunting), changes on the property by mining will be substantial. Hence, I have no doubt that mining disturbances of vehicle traffic, noise and dust will disturb all wildlife, alter their movement patterns and render the hunting program ineffectual.
My husband and I have lived in the Livermore area since 1993. We have dedicated our lives over the last 30 years to build a diverse collaboration of citizens, landowners, state, local and federal land managers, conservation NGOs and for-profit organizations to conserve and steward this place; the North Fork of the Poudre Watershed. This is the last place on Colorado’s northern Front Range where Colorado is still intact. From I-25 heading west, you can see and experience rolling grasslands, that rise into broken foothills shrublands and climb through rugged forested mountain ranges to the continental divide. Springs and streams punctuate the landscape and support rich riparian and wetland systems.
As you well know, because of your efforts and that of many others, this work has been significant in terms of funding and the participation of so many private landowners. To date out of this 400,000 acre watershed, 110,000 acres remain in federal, state and municipal jurisdiction mostly dedicated to wildlife conservation, and those lands are now connected to another 100,000 acres of private lands that have been conserved. Most of these lands which remain as private working ranches supporting both local food production and wildlife, and part of which are new county and city open spaces for all to enjoy. During this time Larimer County has contributed about $20M to these efforts. Partners have at least been doubled that investment. Last year, Larimer County spent $8M on conservation projects near the Steinhoff Hill property and partners contributed another $5M. Surely this is a commitment that cannot be ignored and is a gift from private landowners and citizens to Colorado forever which is immeasurable.
The viewshed that is afforded by this property being is priceless. The parcel lays in the middle of the Livermore Valley and views reach across the grassy valley bottom over these rolling hills and grade all the way to the north end of Rocky Mountain National Park. Mining on these steep undulating hills will mar that view and it will be lost forever.
The proposal to potentially mine in this area is contradictory to all the past investments in agriculture and wildlife conservation by Larimer County. Conflicting actions by different county departments creates confusion within communities and starts to undermine trust built over time. For example, the community was assured that the new road and bridge facility on the Red Feather Lakes Road would only stockpile road base materials and no processing would occur on site. That changed and had to be addressed and stopped. We are grateful that the change occurred, but it only did so because neighbors brought the issue to the forefront.
For all these reasons I implore you to consider alternatives to Steinhoff Hill. There are at least two gravel and sand mining pits in Wyoming at the Granite Canyon/Harriman exit. In addition, if the Galde Reservoir project advances, that will also provide a local source for sand and gravel.
The property is a good candidate for the Stewardship Trust because of its location in a conserved landscape and its wildlife values. We hope that Steinhoff Hill will be nominated under that program to avoid any other incompatible land uses in the future and to honor the investments made by so many people in this community.
Again, we understand that our roads need to be maintained. However, we believe Steinhoff Hill is not the appropriate location because of incompatibility with adjacent land uses, substantial impacts on wildlife and local ranching and loss of a priceless viewshed.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and care for our natural heritage that support local livelihoods.
Most sincerely,
Heather
Heather Knight
Natural Conservation Solutions, LLC