Proposal to manage Sweetwater Lake area for multiple user groups, allowing for the appropriate, consistent, sustainable, and holistic management. Forest Plan amendment to create a Management Area 8.22 –State or Local Government Managed Developed Recreation Areas. Issue CPW 20year SUP. PALS #64047
Sweetwater Lake Recreation Management and Development Project
Project documents for review are located at https://usfs-public.box.com/s/d39qg5fpnewq37h03g8ihen7p0kox97w
Public Meetings
The White River National Forest will host two public meetings to answer questions and solicit comments on the Project proposal.
Opportunity to Comment on the Project Proposal and Management Area 8.22 Forest Plan Amendment
The USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest (WRNF) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the Sweetwater Lake Recreation Management and Development Project. The proposed action is located at Sweetwater Lake which is approximately 12 miles northwest of Dotsero, Colorado. The Responsible Official for this decision is Brian Glaspell, Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest. Four alternatives are analyzed in detail in the Draft EIS.
Alternative 2 (Proposed Action): This alternative would focus on enhancing recreation, reducing user conflicts, protecting natural resources, and improving the visitor experience. The Project area would be divided into eight zones, each with a specific function: 1) Sweetwater Lodge Zone, 2) Two Day Use Zones, 3) Administrative Zone, 4) Campground Zone, 5) Cabin Zone, 6) Equestrian Zone. 7) Interpretive/Education Zone, and 8) Environmentally Sensitive Area Zone. A Visitor Use Management Plan would be implemented to manage visitation. The proposal includes a programmatic plan amendment to create new forest-wide management area (MA). The new MA 8.22 – State or Local Government Managed Developed Recreation Areas would provide management direction for recreation areas that are located on National Forest System (NFS) lands but managed in collaboration with a state or local government entity. The Project proposal would designate the entire 846-acre Project proposal area, including approximately 433 acres of newly acquired private land and the 413 acres of existing NFS lands as MA 8.22, For this Project, the state entity would be CPW. A 20-year Special Use Permit (SUP) would be issued to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) for operation and maintenance of the recreation site. Additional details on each alternative are included in the Draft EIS.
A proposed programmatic amendment to the 2002 Revised Forest Plan for the White River National Forest (2002 Forest Plan) would create a new “Management Area 8.22: State or Local Government Managed Developed Recreation Areas,” enabling joint Forest Service–CPW or local government management. This programmatic plan amendment would apply to Alternatives 2 and 4 at the project level and apply to all future decisions made under the 2002 Forest Plan at the management area scale.
Comment and Objection Procedures Specific to the Proposed Project
The proposed project is an activity implementing a land management plan and is subject to 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B. Only individuals or entities (as defined by 36 CFR §218.2) who submit timely and specific written comments (as defined by 36 CFR §218.2) about this proposed project or activity during this or another public comment period established by the Responsible Official will be eligible to file an objection. Other requirements to be eligible to submit an objection are defined by 36 CFR §218.25 (a)(3) and include name, postal address, title of the project and signature or other verification of identity upon request and the identity of the individual or entity who authored the comments. Individual members of an entity must submit their own individual comments in order to have eligibility to object as an individual. A timely submission will be determined as outlined in 36 CFR §218.25(a)(4). It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure timely receipt of any comments submitted. Names and contact information submitted with comments will become part of the public record and may be released under the Freedom of Information Act. Comments should be within the scope of the proposed action, have a direct relationship to the proposed action, and must include supporting reasons for the Responsible Official to consider (36 CFR §218.2).
This Project has initiated public comment after the publication of the proposed amendment to the regulations at 36 CFR 218 in the Federal Register on February 6, 2026 (91 Federal Register 5387). This Project and the associated environmental compliance document and any potential decision may be subject to the revised administrative review process if the final 36 CFR 218 rule is published before the Project’s objection period is initiated. Otherwise, this Project will follow the administrative review process established prior to the proposed rule.
Comment and Objection Procedures Specific to the 2002 Forest Plan Programmatic Amendment
The decision to approve the programmatic amendment will be subject to the plan objection procedures of 36 CFR §219, Subpart B. Only individuals or entities (as defined by 36 CFR §219.53) who submit substantive formal comments (as defined by 36 CFR §219.62) about this programmatic plan amendment will be eligible to file an objection. Other requirements to be eligible to submit an objection are defined by 36 CFR §219.54(c) and include name, postal address, name of the plan amendment, signature or other verification of identity upon request, and the identity of the individual or entity who authored the comments. Individual members of an entity must submit their own individual comments in order to have eligibility to object as an individual. A timely submission will be determined as outlined in 36 CFR §219.16(a)(2). It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure timely receipt of any comments submitted. Names and contact information submitted with comments will become part of the public record and may be released under the Freedom of Information Act. Substantive formal comments are those that are within the scope of the proposal, are specific to the proposal, have a direct relationship to the proposal, and include supporting reasons for the Responsible Official to consider (36 CFR §219.62).
How to Submit Comments: The Draft EIS and associated programmatic 2002 Forest Plan amendment will result in one decision. The opportunity to comment on the DEIS, programmatic and project plan amendment to the 2002 Forest Plan ends 90 days following the date of publication of the notice of availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. The NOA was published in the Federal Register on June 26, 2026. The publication date of the NOA in the Federal Register is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period for a proposed action document in a Draft EIS. Those wishing to comment should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. If the comment period ends on Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, comments will be accepted until the end of the next Federal working day. Submit comments to the Responsible Official, Brian Glaspell, Forest Supervisor, by one of the following methods. Electronic comments are preferred and can be submitted at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=284162. Acceptable formats for electronic comments are text or html e-mail, Adobe portable document format, and formats viewable in Microsoft Office applications. Written comments can be mailed to: White River National Forest, c/o Brian Glaspell, Attn: Sweetwater Lake Recreation Management and Development Project, 900 Grand Avenue, Glenwood Springs, Colorado 81601. Please include “Comments on Sweetwater Lake Recreation Management and Development Project and Plan Amendment Draft EIS” in the subject line of all comment methods. Office hours, for those who wish to hand deliver their comments to the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 900 Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs, are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00 (except Federal holidays). Comments may also be submitted by fax. Please contact Leanne Veldhuis if you wish to fax comments.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an equal opportunity provider and employer
The form below can be used to submit your comments to the responsible project official.
National Forests have the option to post comments for public viewing on this web site via a public reading room. Active reading rooms allow the public to read or download your letter, including your contact information. If this project has an active reading room, a link labeled “Public Comment Reading Room” will appear on the main project page. The agency may withhold letters containing proprietary information, sensitive cultural or habitat locations, profanity, etc. All letters, including those not posted, will be considered and included as part of the project record.
Disclaimer: All contact information is optional; however, anonymous comments will not provide standing to object.
