As part of a broader effort to increase the ability of federal agencies to understand and adapt to changes
in climate variability and hazard profiles, the Colorado Bureau of Land Management has commissioned
an on-going research effort to gather and analyze information on the potential climate-related
vulnerabilities of the numerous communities and businesses that rely upon the state’s 8.4 million acres
of BLM-managed public lands. This report contains the initial findings of this project, and details work
conducted between 2015 and 2017 centered around three main questions:
1. What efforts are currently underway within the Colorado BLM to address changes in climate and
the climate vulnerabilities of public land users?
2. What are the characteristics of connections between public lands and communities across the
state?
3. How are land-based livelihoods (such as ranching and recreational outfitting) that rely upon
public land resources affected by changes in long-term weather patterns, extreme events, and
associated BLM decision-making?
To answer these questions, we took a mixed-methods approach. To better understand existing work on
climate change within the Colorado BLM, we extensively reviewed existing resource management plans,
resource advisory council notes, and other policy documents. In order to establish a state-wide view of
patterns of communities, their characteristics, and their connection to BLM-managed resources, we
conducted a geospatial analysis of multiple publicly available socio-demographic and economic datasets,
as well as numerous BLM field office records on usage patterns and intensity. Finally, we also conducted
two in-depth, qualitative case studies in two field office management areas with well-known
connections to public land resources. Here, we used interviews with BLM staff, grazing permittees,
recreational outfitters, and other business operators with ties to BLM-managed lands to better
understand how climate hazards and shifts in seasonal weather patterns play out on the ground for
public land users and the numerous communities across the state whose economies are closely linked to
public land management policy. Throughout this process, we have aimed to compile and synthesize
information that will allow field office managers and staff to ensure that future policies and
management actions reflect the strengths, vulnerabilities, and needs of the diverse communities that
rely upon public lands across the state.