The Perins Peak puzzle

Hiking boots making the trip from Denver to Durango should be strictly banned in Perins Peak State Wildlife Area. Mountain bikes, day hikers and bird watchers should also give the 10,000-acre refuge a wide berth. And horses carrying hunters, high-powered rifles, big canvas tents and tins of Spam should absolutely be placed off-limits.

In fact, all human impact should be erased from nearby Perins Peak. If the intent is to truly manage the area for wildlife, let?s eliminate all of the culprits. While we?re at it, we can throw a pack of wolves, a few mountain lions and a grizzly bear back into the mix. We?ll also go ahead and peel back a few dozen homes along Junction Creek and eliminate Rockridge and Tupperware Heights (aka Crestview). With a concerted effort, we can put the wild back in the state wildlife area.

But let?s be realistic. Perins Peak is a pretty nice swath of open space located precariously close to an urban area. The refuge boasts noxious weeds, ORV damage and forgotten junk in addition to high-quality, low-elevation habitat. And the fact is, the Division of Wildlife is actually the keeper of a very large zoo. The agency?s officers get to play god in this little corner of La Plata County, throwing bales of hay to elk and deer during gruesome winters and issuing extra hunting tags when the herd begins to grow too large.

On the surface, Perins Peak is managed for the animals. However, hunting and fishing are also the DOW?s bread and butter, and this wildlife sanctuary is also operated with the discerning sportsman in mind. Take a trip to the refuge in coming weeks and you?ll find a startlingly different picture than what?s been related in recent letters to the editor. During a large portion of the year, target practice takes place over at Perins Peak. Don?t forget to wear your blaze orange.

Still, emotions have escalated beyond reason during the recent debate on bringing the Colorado Trail into downtown Durango. Out of nowhere, La Plata County, Trails 2000, local business people and mountain bikers and hikers have been cast as villains, intent on raping an earthly paradise just outside city limits.

What?s not being discussed is that many of these same villains forwarded an admirable compromise to the DOW not so long ago. Courtesy of a land exchange, the county would abandon its claim to Dry Gulch Road removing the ?threat to the heart of Perins Peak.? In trade, a new, hand-built trail would be put in place along the wildlife area?s extreme eastern edge. Mention even this trail too loudly and you?ll immediately draw strong reactions, cries that the singletrack would be disruptive and destructive, displacing songbirds and fracturing elk herds.

But, take a look at Perins Peak SWA on a map and you see that the extreme eastern edge is a child?s softball toss from back yards, garages and barbecue pits. It is well within the range of the subsidized predators ? cats and dogs ? and right next door to garage bands and herbicide guns. Pay the eastern edge a visit, and you?ll see something that probably makes the DOW wet itself. The area is already riddled with user-created trails. Humanity has been leaving its mark on this piece of Perins Peak for many long years. Yet for some reason, we still find ourselves at the current impasse and shouldering well more than $50,000 in citizen-supported legal costs (by the way, we?re also funding the DOW?s attorneys as Colorado taxpayers).

Like it or not, the predicament cannot justly be blamed on trail users, La Plata County or bike shop owners. These groups approached the dilemma with offers of consolation and compromise. The DOW took these offers and nearly a year of negotiation and answered them with a flat ?no.?

The good news is that some resolution will shine on this tangle in coming weeks. If the court rules in favor of La Plata County, maybe we can revisit that compromise and create a trail that truly offers little, additional impact to the wildlife area. And, we can also eliminate the double standard that rolls out the red carpet for hunters at Perins Peak State Wildlife Area but largely excludes bicycles and hikers. If the State of Colorado prevails, I humbly suggest a sweeping closure. Let?s be honest and truly manage the area exclusively for wildlife. And what the hell, maybe a couple mountain lions, a small pack of wolves and a missing subdivision or two will help do the trick.

? Will Sands