Western Landowners Alliance Statement on Colorado Stream Access Laws

The mission of the Western Landowners Alliance (WLA) is to sustain working lands, connected landscapes and native species. As landowners and managers, we take seriously the privilege and responsibility of stewarding the land, wildlife and natural resource values in our care.

Secure property rights are the bedrock of private investment, conservation and stewardship. Landowners purchase and maintain properties, pay taxes and create businesses based on constitutionally protected property rights laws and long-established rules and regulations.

Upending established law to expand recreational access undermines the good faith investments by landowners, including families who have cared for these lands for generations. It not only lowers property values, but can adversely impact land-based businesses, including guest ranching, outfitting, ranching and farming, which are what make it economically feasible to keep private lands intact. This, in turn, accelerates the conversion of land into development, impacting agricultural economies, food security, and natural resource values.

Landowners also invest in conserving and restoring land, streams, watersheds and wildlife habitats. This includes improving riparian and aquatic habitats and wetlands, reconnecting flood plains, reducing erosion and sedimentation, providing fish passage and restoring native fish, beavers and other wildlife. The benefits of this work extend far beyond property boundaries, providing a source of fish, wildlife and biodiversity to other areas, including public lands.  

Unlimited public access can unravel these investments, undermine conservation values and impact species of concern. For example, years of work restoring native fish can be destroyed by the introduction of disease and invasive species as fishermen move between reaches. Increased recreational pressure will further stress sensitive fish populations which typically rely on private lands as refugia when they are already living increasingly fragile existences in challenging climactic conditions. Other wildlife, including nesting birds, can also be disrupted and displaced from the limited habitats available to them. Opening public access also disincentivizes future investments in conservation and restoration.

In short, outdoor recreation is important, but it must be considered and managed within the bigger picture. Singular focus on expanding public access imperils many other important public and environmental values.

There is a better way.

Voluntary access programs, negotiated agreements, and outfitting businesses enable willing landowners to offer high quality, managed access, maintain economic viability, and keep lands intact. WLA supports state and federal funding for voluntary access programs.

The West is also blessed with an abundance of public lands and publicly accessible waters. WLA supports keeping public lands in public ownership. Better management of public lands and public waterways would also improve habitat while providing a better quality outdoor recreational experience. This could include better managed fisheries to limit impacts during winter and spawning seasons, limits on the number of anglers at any given time, better take rules to improve age-class distribution, and fewer streamside trails to provide refuge and better access to wildlife for their survival.