Capital Development Committee recommends CPW purchase of Jackson County land for managed camping

The Capital Development Committee voted 4–2 to recommend support for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s plan to acquire about 231 acres of State Land Board property in Jackson County to formalize and manage camping in the North Sandhills Recreation Area.

Sarah Hamming, acting director of legislative affairs for the Department of Natural Resources, told the committee the purchase would allow CPW to provide dedicated management for an area that has seen enforcement problems, public‑safety incidents and resource damage. “This proposal is for CPW to acquire approximately 231 acres of state land board owned land in Jackson County to provide camping for the North Sandhills Recreation Area,” Hamming said, adding CPW and the Bureau of Land Management already operate under a cooperative management agreement for adjacent lands.

Hamming said CPW is in the early stages of developing a master plan that will rely on resource inventories, extensive stakeholder engagement, consultation with tribal partners and a financial assessment. She described planned facilities including delineated campsites, vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings, and said delineation would help prevent degradation of habitat that serves as critical winter range for mule deer, elk and moose.

Kim Rogers, real estate section manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, clarified map details for committee members who had questions about parcel ownership and map symbology. “Those red lines are lines indicating sections. So those are not property boundaries,” Rogers said, and confirmed the purple parcel on the map is the State Land Board parcel CPW is proposing to acquire, with State Forest State Park to the east and BLM lands to the south.

Madam Vice Chair moved that the committee recommend support for a fee‑title acquisition of the 231 acres from the State Land Board at a purchase price entered on the record as $752,000. The clerk conducted a roll call and the chair announced the motion passed by a 4–2 vote. The committee packet included a letter of support from the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and concurrence letters from Senator Roberts and Speaker McCluskey.

The Capital Development Committee concluded its business and adjourned after the single agenda item.