Pitkin County is preparing to close the road to the Maroon Bells Scenic Area in the event of a federal government shutdown Wednesday.
If Congress does not pass a stopgap funding measure before Oct. 1, federal agencies will stop paying non-essential employees and shut down federal public lands.
Brian Pettet, public works director for Pitkin County, told Aspen Public Radio they would close the road in an effort to protect public safety.
“Because of the magnitude of folks going to the Maroon Bells, we just don't feel it's responsible to keep it open if there's no supervision up there,” Pettet said.
In the event of a shutdown, the county would close Maroon Creek Road near T-Lazy 7 Ranch, leaving access to the Maroon Bells limited to non-vehicular traffic, like cyclists. The county may also install temporary toilets at the Bells for recreators that are still in the area.
Gary Tennenbaum, open space and trails director for Pitkin County, acknowledged residents and visitors will continue to travel to the popular landmark, despite the closure.
“The Bells are the Bells. People are going to go up there by bike if that road gets closed,” Tennenbaum said. “You need to protect the resource, and you need to have at least basic services and some people watching to ensure a resource gets protected.”
The Maroon Bells sees up to 1,000 visitors daily via the Roaring Fork Tranportation Authority shuttle system, in addition to motorists with parking permits and cyclists. Pettet said that in the event of a shutdown, H2O Ventures, a management partner for the Maroon Bells, would contact permit holders for a refund.
It’s still unclear if U.S. Forest Service employees would be deemed essential or be furloughed during a shutdown.
Still, the White River National Forest and Aspen-Sopris Ranger District are operating on a fraction of their previous staffing levels. Aspen-Sopris District Ranger Kevin Warner told Pitkin County officials in May he expects staffing to be down 30% and 39%.
Volunteers with the Forest Conservancy, Independence Pass Foundation, and newly-created positions with partner organizations have spent the summer educating the public on land stewardship, fire restrictions and more.
Pettet and Tennenbaum said that without supervision from White River National Forest employees, those individualsmay not be allowed to be on public lands at all.
“If [the Forest Service is] not in direct supervision of the labor at the Maroon Bells, that labor has to go away,” Pettet said. “That's a federal government decision, and we don't know the answer to that right now.”
The county will meet with White River National Forest staff Tuesday for another update on the shutdown and management outlook, Pettet said. If a shutdown occurs and there is no forest service supervision of the Maroon Bells, they will coordinate on when exactly to close the road, considering recreators already in the scenic area.
The county has closed Maroon Creek Road during past government shutdowns to help ease traffic.
If the standoff results in further staff attrition, Tennenbaum said the county and other local partners, including the Public Land and Water Forum, will be ready to respond and protect the scenic area.
The White River National Forest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
