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Our Livelihood
;)
The Thompson Divide area has been ranched for more than a century, and it remains the strongest enclave of traditional ranching culture in the Roaring Fork Valley. Some 35 operations graze cattle on their own pastures and on federal grazing allotments in the surrounding hills. These ranches preserve thousands of acres of increasingly scarce winter range for deer and elk, and thus play an essential role in the larger ecosystem.
While the oil and gas industry is an important source of income for the regional economy, we believe the Thompson Divide area is more valuable in its current rural state. The area’s agricultural heritage stands in the balance as oil and gas development creeps nearer. Ranching operations in western portions of Garfield County have been marginalized by industrial oil and gas development. If we don’t act quickly to protect the farming and ranching operations in this portion of the county, we stand to lose them forever. Such a loss would be significant economically and culturally.
For ranching families, the land is literally their livelihood. But for all of us, it’s the source of our quality of life and the engine of our local economy.
The Thompson Divide area is exceptionally popular among recreationalists. Thompson Creek is a well-known sport climbing destination, Coal Basin is popular with ice climbers, cross-country and backcountry skiers, snowmobilers and mountain bikers. Spring Gulch is a locally revered Nordic ski area. The landscape is also popular with mountain bikers, equestrians and hikers.
Much of the Thompson Divide area overlaps with famed hunting Unit 43 – renowned as one of the best hunting units in the state. Angling opportunities are similarly abundant.
We appreciate the valuable economic contributions of recreationalists and sportsmen to our local economy. According to the Outdoor Industry Foundation, outdoor recreation contributes over $10 billion annually to the Colorado economy and supports 107,000 jobs; hunting and fishing account for nearly a third of the total. While figures aren’t available for our local area, it’s obvious that outdoor recreation drives much of the economic activity in communities surrounding the Thompson Divide.
Trading our sustainable agriculture- and recreation-based economy for the boom and inevitable bust of energy development doesn’t sound like a good deal to us.
