Promoting healthy landscapes for healthy communities since 1993

Mission/Purpose: To influence the management of  public lands through collaborative processes that benefit the local economies and environments of west central Colorado.

What We Do:
The Public Lands Partnership (PLP) is the catalyst for promoting public education and awareness of economic and environmental issues related to public lands.  The PLP  provides local public forums for airing different sides of natural resource issues.

Who We Are:
As one of the longest operating natural resource collaboratives in Colorado, the Public Lands Partnership (PLP) came together in 1993 as an informal organization of citizens, businesses, local governments, and land management agencies. This diverse group strives to encourage civic discussion and action on local natural resource issues that affect the health of our Public Lands, the sustainability of our economies, and our sense of place. Over the years PLP has carefully identified public land projects that would benefit from collaborative efforts that enhance and help maintain diverse, healthy communities. PLP has grown into a Non-profit Corporation membership organization directed by an Executive Committee, which oversees the Project Coordinator, business, and administrative activities of PLP.  PLP’s fiscal agency is Uncompahgre/Com Inc.  PLP is an affiliate of the Western Colorado Landscape Collaborative (WCLC).  The Executive Committee (Board) meetings are held monthly and general membership meetings are held quarterly. Our meetings convene citizens, local governments, Federal and State land and wildlife management agencies, businesses, forestry, mining industries, ranchers, and conservationists.  We strive to remain neutral and be the catalyst that builds consensus and identifies solutions that work for our environment, our communities, local economies, and people.

Goals and Objectives of the PLP:

• To Influence the management of public lands in ways that help maintain or enhance diverse ecosystems, healthy economies, and viable communities.
• To demonstrate different ecologically and economically sustainable approaches that contribute to the health and bio-diversity of public lands in the area.
• To better define and strengthen opportunities for local involvement in public lands issues and planning processes.

Background:
One of the first of its kind in the West, the Public Lands Partnership (PLP) was  one of the earliest “place-based” partnerships in the country, the original mission  hammered out was similar to today’s mission. This was: To maintain diverse communities and economies that are in balance with the semi-rural environment of our Counties. One of the group’s earliest tasks was to commission a report that would help clarify the degree to which our communities relied on public lands economically and vice versa. Immediately following this report, local environmental conflicts emerged over coal mining.  The Public Lands Partnership undertook a leadership role to resolve the conflict through creating more broad-based community participation and informed involvement. From that has evolved the Public Land Partnerships’ model of operation, which focuses on diversity and education.

Partners:

• Delta County
• Gunnison County
• Hinsdale County
• Montrose County
• Ouray County
• San Miguel County
• City of Montrose
• US Forest Service – Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
• Bureau of Land Management – Gunnison, Uncompahgre and Grand Junction  Field Office
• Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife
• National Park Service