April 29, 2026 · 1,070 words · 10 speakers · 28 segments
position. If you want to come on up.
Thank you and good morning, Mr. Chair, members of the committee. For the record, my name is Sarah Hamming, the Acting Director of Legislative Affairs for the Department of Natural Resources. I have a team of folks online that I would like to quickly introduce this morning. From CPW, we have Kim Rogers, Real Estate Section Manager, Jacob Bray, Northwest Region Deputy Regional Manager, and Ryan Crabb, Park Manager at State Forest State Park. We are also joined online by Matt LaFontaine, Real Estate Program Manager with the State Land Board, and Abe Medina, Recreation Program Manager, also with the State Land Board. We're here today to present a property transaction proposal for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. This proposal is for CPW to acquire approximately 231 acres of state land board owned land in Jackson County to provide camping for the North Sandhills Recreation Area. The North Sandhills area is a popular spot for off-highway vehicles near the border of State Forest State Park. The majority of the property is owned by the Bureau of Land Management, but it also contains a section of state land board property where most of the dispersed camping currently occurs. CPW has entered into a cooperative management agreement with the BLM to manage the recreation on their parcel as part of the Colorado State Park system. The main objective of this agreement is to provide dedicated resources and active management to the area that has seen numerous issues with enforcement, public safety, medical emergencies, and resource damage. CPW intends to accomplish this by delineating campsites, providing appropriate infrastructure and facilities, maintaining a safe trail system, and allocating adequate staffing and resources to the property. CPW is currently in the early stages of developing a master plan for this recreation area which will be informed by resource inventories extensive stakeholder engagement and public input consultation with tribal partners and a financial assessment As I mentioned before the state land board property that CPW is looking to acquire has previously been utilized for dispersed camping CPW plans to develop designated campgrounds, including some additional vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings, and other essential infrastructure on that space. Delineating the campsites will prevent further degradation of surrounding habitat, which exists within critical winter range for several big game species like deer, elk, and moose. In short, CPW's purchase of this property will ensure that camping is better managed, critical habitat is protected, and that CPW can continue to work towards a more cooperative management of the North Sandhills Recreation Area. In your packet this morning, you will find a letter of support for this transaction from the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, along with concurrence letters from both Senator Roberts and Speaker McCluskey. With that, we ask for your support on this property transaction proposal this morning,
and we are happy to take any questions that the committee may have. Thank you, Ms. Hamming. Does the committee have any questions? Madam Vice Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just looking at the map that we have and the parcels that are marked, I just want a little more confirmation, I guess, about who has ownership right now. So I see the state land board property that's sort of pink or purple. North of that, you know, there is a boundary that crosses across. Like, I'm just curious who that property, that parcel is aligned with, if that's state forest state park that's off to the east.
Ms. Hamming?
Thank you, Representative, for the question. I will turn this question over to some of our CPW folks that we have online.
Awesome. Whoever wants to answer online, just introduce yourself just for the record, please. And I guess real quick, online, does everyone have the map that the vice chair is speaking of? I see some heads shaking no. Okay. Ms. Rogers.
Thank you Chair My name is Kim Rogers I the real estate section manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife Madam Vice Chair, you correctly identified the the sort of purple colored parcel as the one that the state land board now owns. and CPW will be acquiring that if we receive your recommendation. To the east of that is State Forest State Park, which is land controlled by CPW. And then to the south is BLM controlled land that's part of the future North Sandhills Recreation Area. So the land CPW would like to acquire from a state land board is contiguous to the future North Sandhills Recreation Area. I hope I've addressed your question.
absolutely thank you madam vice chair thank you mr chair um the map that we're looking at there are you know two red lines perpendicular to each other that make sort of four quadrants um and so the northwest corner directly is the state land board trust land but north of that there is a parcel that is bordered by yellow lines and in between there's a i guess a parcel that is something, but neither of those are labeled, so I'm curious about those. I see on our map directly east, so the northeast quadrant, State Forest, State Park, you identified that. And southwest is BLM, but what is southeast and what is north of the state land board property? That's what I'm curious
about. Ms. Rogers. Thank you, thank you, Madam Vice Chair, those red lines are lines indicating sections Okay So those are not property boundaries So that sort of beige color which is in the Top left top top left quadrant, the top right quadrant and then sort of goes down into the bottom right quadrant, that's all State Forest State Park. And then that gold color that goes throughout across the bottom and scoops up around to the top left, that's BLM.
Perfect. Thank you. Appreciate that.
Thank you. Any further questions from the committee? Seeing none, Madam Vice Chair.
I move that CDC recommends support for the fee title acquisition of 231 acres of land in Jackson County from the State Land Board at $752,000 for 231 acres.
That is a proper motion. Ms. Forbes, please call the roll.
Senators and Representatives, Henrickson.
Aye.
Johnson.
Pass.
Lindsay.
Yes.
Helton
No
Johnson
No
Madam Vice Chair
Yes
And Mr. Chair
Yes That passes 4-2 Members that concludes our business for Capital Development Committee and we are adjourned Thank you.