|
||||
|
May 26, 2001 by Janelle Holden More than $1.65 million traded hands between a Dolores developer and the owner of a remote 3,000-acre ranch in Dolores County this month. Colorado Land and Ranches, the new owner of Redstone Land Company, purchased the title to Blanding rancher Richard Perkins’ property south of Benchmark Lookout and north of Narraguinnep Mountain on May 7, and filed the deed with the Dolores County Assessor’s office on Wednesday. Despite the disapproval of the surrounding landowners, the land company has proposed developing the forested acreage into 87 parcels of 35 acres each. The Perkins family retained the mineral rights to the property. Neighbors say the development would mar what is now a completely undeveloped area that serves as both critical big-game habitat and summer pasture for cattle. "Everybody is opposed to it, because we have pristine land up there," explained one of the development’s most vocal critics, Lewis rancher Guyrene McAfee, who owns adjoining property. "There is no fire, there is no electricity, there is no water, there’s no sanitation. Whose job is to provide that before these lots are sold to Mr. and Mrs. Brown from Texas?" she asked. The Dolores County Commissioners have no zoning regulations for 35-acre subdivisions within the county. Access to the development, however, may become problematic for the land company, since the nearest access road, Forest Service Road 240, is only open seasonally and runs across McAfee’s property. McAfee’s father, Roy J. Retherford, homesteaded the property, and granted the Forest Service an easement to the road. The road also crosses an archaeological site that the Forest Service recently recommended for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The single-track, dirt road is currently not sufficient to hold construction traffic, and the Forest Service has allowed Colorado Land and Ranches one trip to the acreage with a semi-truck and trailer to bring in construction equipment. In March, Redstone Land Company withdrew an offer to improve Forest Service Road 240, citing the cost of conducting an environmental assessment. But now Colorado Land and Ranches has started a discussion with the Forest Service about improving the road, but have not yet made a formal request. An environmental assessment will likely ensue if a formal request is filed, according to John Reidinger, a lands and minerals forester at the Dolores Public Lands Center, and the road may be rerouted to protect the archaeological site. "If the Indian ruins are sufficient to close that road, then we’ll have to have a new access to my property, and they will have to have it to because they use my road," said McAfee. Redstone Land Company asked for deeded access to the property from the Forest Service last fall, but its request was denied because the property is not an inholding and year-round traffic would have impacted the big game that winters in the area. The Forest Service is not required to provide Colorado Land and Ranches with any access other than what is currently available to other users. Local environmental groups have shown an interest in the road improvements. Mark Pearson, the public lands director of the San Juan Citizens Alliance, said the alliance recently sent a letter to Mike Znerold, the district ranger at the Dolores Public Lands Center, asking to be apprised of any changes. "If the Forest Service is going to make road improvements to accommodate private land development, then they need to analyze lots of impacts on archaeological sites, wildlife, grazing, recreation, and whatever other issues are appropriate. So I think we’ll be pretty interested," said Pearson. Bob Bourque, the owner of Colorado Land and Ranches, did not return a call from the Journal on Friday. |
||||
|
Copyright © 2001 the Cortez Journal.
All rights reserved. |
