Rich horsemen get special ticket to ride
150 given access to restricted wilderness area
Katie Kerwin Mccrimmon, Rocky Mountain News
Published July 21, 2007 at midnight
An elite group of 150 wealthy horsemen got special permission to ride through the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Area in southern Colorado during a weeklong, 100-mile trip that ends today.
Wilderness advocates are crying foul, arguing that if a large troop of Boy Scouts tried to pass through the same area, the U.S. Forest Service would turn them down. TinaMarie Ekker, of the Montana-base group Wilderness Watch, said that in this case, money bought special privileges.
The Roundup Riders of the Rockies, a secretive fraternity that has been conducting swanky rides through the Rockies for nearly 60 summers, paid about $15,000 to get a permit and pay for any damage they caused to trails or wetlands.
Normally, a "25-heartbeat policy" governs groups in Wilderness Areas. That means that no group with more than 25 people or animals will be allowed in Wilderness Areas. The Spanish Peaks were declared wilderness in 2000. Forest supervisors could not name another large group that was allowed similar access.
"The fact that they are paying that much money is a clear implication that there will be impacts. They're breaking the rules," Ekker said. She suspects they got special permission because they have friends in high places.
"This is a very politically connected group."
Neither Ekker nor forest supervisors could confirm who was on the ride. The organizers who got the permit were unavailable to comment while finishing the ride. In years past, the ride has sparked controversy. Former Colorado state parks chief Lyle Laverty used $5,000 in state funds so he could join the annual July ride. He later sold the horse to his son-in-law and returned the $5,000 to state coffers.
Pike and San Isabel National Forest Supervisor Bob Leaverton said the riders ended up having little impact on the wilderness area. He said the riders were only allowed to pass through the wilderness.
They set up their elaborate campsites every evening on private land.
The group brings along at least 20 camp hands to cater meals, set up cots, showers, heated tents and even a stage for nightly entertainment.
Leaverton said all those high-impact uses happened outside the wilderness area. He personally rode the trail on Thursday where the riders had gone on Sunday. He said the forest supervisors had made the right call to allow the large group and that little harm was done to the environment.
"It was excellent. At some places it was hard to tell they had even been through," Leaverton said. "Obviously this group is very aware and sensitive to wilderness ethics. I think we validated the assumption we made that this ride would not have an impact on other wilderness users."
Leaverton said the riders had to pay a non-refundable $5,000 fee for trail repairs and mitigation, but he doubted any repairs would have to be made. The other $10,000 went for permits and significant employee time to draft the permit and monitor the riders throughout the week.
Leaverton assigned a forest service worker to ride with the group on Sunday and Monday. He said on those days, the Roundup Riders encountered only one other group hiking through the wilderness area and that their experience was not marred during their encounter with the Roundup Riders.
Leaverton said he would be willing to review another group's application to get a waiver from the "25-heartbeat policy" if they proposed similar uses in the area. He said most groups want to camp in sensitive areas.
Ekker, of Wilderness Watch, fears that forest supervisors have set a precedent they will soon regret.
"This is a small wilderness with this huge group riding through it," she said, estimating that supervisors allowed as many as 15 times the number of horses and people that they should have.
"What kind of message is this going to send to the field managers who have to say no to the Boy Scouts.''
McCrimmonK@RockyMoun tainNews.com or 303-954-2502
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Suggest removal
ddn829 writes:
The article states that the camp is set up on Private land. I have been going to southwestern colorado for many years. Since when did the Ute Creek trail head become private land in the upper Rio Grande River area. In the article it states that there camps are set up on. The crew that came in and set up the camp all came in is Penske rental trucks to set up this mini city.
Myself and another person in my party went to investigate the happenings that were happening. Not very much info was given other than the riders do this 1 week yearly in different parts of colorado.