Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — A state agency in charge of 3 million acres of land in Colorado, including the Emerald Mountain Parcel in Routt County, will meet this morning at Olympian Hall on Howelsen Hill.

The State Board of Land Commissioners is holding its regular monthly public meeting at 9 a.m. On the agenda is the possible acquisition of two parcels in the vicinity of Steamboat Springs.

And while the Emerald Mountain Parcel is not on the table, the pristine piece of land, which the local Emerald Mountain Partnership is trying to save, may be discussed during a public comment period at the beginning of the meeting.

An in-holding within the land board's Rabbit Ears property may be purchased today. The state land board representatives took a tour of the property, which is in Jackson County, on Thursday.

Northwest District Manager Beverly Rave said the parcel will likely be purchased by the land board because it will complete a larger parcel.

The two local properties are among 21 issues that will be discussed. Among the items is a decision on the adoption of the Colorado State Forest Integrated Management Plan at 11 a.m.

The five land board commissioners, who are appointed by the governor, are charged with raising money for public schools through the sale and use of state-owned land parcels.

That use can include selling or leasing the mineral rights to an oil company or collecting on grazing leases, which is the case with the Emerald Mountain Parcel.

In fiscal year 1999-2000, the agency earned about $22 million in revenue.

The board meets once a month, usually at its Denver headquarters, though it tries to visit the properties and various communities each year, said Kate Jones, a spokeswoman for the board.

The Emerald Mountain Parcel, which consists of 6,400 acres behind Howelsen Hill, is in the hands of the Emerald Mountain Partnership, which has four more years to find a way to preserve it.

According to the land board, the wooded slopes of the mountain are worth $17.2 million to someone.

Attempts by the partnership to find an individual or group willing to purchase the full parcel outright or buy the conservation easements on the land have so far fallen short. The next step may be asking the community to approve a property tax to pay for the land or a portion of it.