Despite plans to move forward with the beginning stages of the U.S. Forest Service’s Mad Rabbit trails project earlier this year, the plan remains at a standstill, leaving both supporters and opponents questioning the holdup.

According to the U.S. Forest Service website, the Mad Rabbit project was expected to advance at the start of the year, but the project has seen little to no movement despite receiving a commitment of $1.6 million from Steamboat Springs City Council four months ago.

“We’re trying to understand what is going on internally in the Forest Service,” said Craig Frithsen, president of Routt County Riders, an organization that has been a proponent of the project. “We’re only privy to some information.”

Steamboat Pilot & Today staff requested comment from local Forest Service staff — however, media requests are currently being directed to the Washington, D.C. offices and comment was not provided before the deadline for this newspaper.

The Mad Rabbit trails project, which includes Forest Service land in the Rabbit Ears Pass area to the south and the Mad Creek area to the north, has been in the works since 2017.

The project aims to construct 49 miles of non-motorized, motorized and adaptive routes and rehabilitate roughly 36 miles of unofficial trails that currently exist in the area.

The plan would also add restrictions designed to limit bikes to designated trails, improve winter trailheads to accommodate summer use and add seasonal human-entry restrictions in certain areas to protect local elk populations.

Local groups such as Keep Routt Wild have opposed the plan and voiced concern over potential impact of an official trail system on local wildlife, particularly on area elk populations.

Currently, the project cannot move forward until the environmental assessment is approved by the Forest Service office in Washington, D.C. According to Frithsen, the delay in signing documents is due to federal complications.

“We definitely have communications with the Forest Service,” Frithsen said. “We view them as valuable partners, especially at the local level. But I think a lot of the holdup is happening at a higher level.”

“It’s a political issue, not a financial issue,” he added.

According to Keep Routt Wild President Larry Desjardin, there has also been a lack of movement on a wildlife baseline study, which is required to take place before trail construction can begin.

On Dec. 12, shortly after the Mad Rabbit project was approved for funding, Desjardin wrote a formal offer to Michael Woodbridge, the Forest Service district ranger for the Hahns Peak/Bears Ears District, expressing Keep Routt Wild’s willingness to assist in conducting an adaptive management plan.

The adaptive management plan was included in the Mad Rabbit trails project in November 2024 after Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources previously voiced objections to the project in 2023 due to environmental impact concerns.

Following the implementation of the adaptive management plan, CPW and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources withdrew all objections, but the agency noted remaining concerns.

“While we greatly appreciate the inclusion of funding to support ongoing maintenance and stewardship of the trails in question, we remain concerned about the lack of dedicated funding available to support this key piece of the adaptive management plan, particularly given some of the looming USFS budget shortfalls,” states the objection withdrawal letter.

In Desjardin’s formal written offer of assistance, he noted the cost of equipment and personnel for the adaptive management plan will be about $33,000 for the first year.

According to Desjardin, the Forest Service “verbally” told Keep Routt Wild that they were not responsible for executing the wildlife monitoring plan after he sent the written offer of assistance.

Desjardin then followed up with an email to the Forest Service, CPW and the state’s Department of Natural Resources, asking for clarification on the agency responsible for funding the adaptive management plan.

After not receiving a response, Desjardin sent another email to the Forest Service on March 3, reminding the agency of the quickly approaching deadline to set up equipment, particularly cameras, needed to conduct the wildlife baseline study. 

According to Desjardin, the baseline study needs to begin by May 15, coinciding with elk calving season, for an accurate reading of elk populations. 

Desjardin added that the environmental assessment was sent to U.S. Forest Service offices in Washington, D.C., where “it never got approved, but never got disapproved, either.”

But Desjardin isn’t bothered by the delays but rather sees the lull in progress as extra time.

“I think the delays are great,” said Desjardin. “The delays are great for the environment, and they’re great for wildlife. The wildlife is about to lose 3,900 acres of habitat … It would be a great benefit to the wildlife and environment if, in the end, the Forest Service decided that it couldn’t approve the environmental assessment.”

As long as the environmental assessment remains unapproved, and elk calving remains unmonitored, the Mad Rabbit trails project cannot move forward with development.

While the status of the project remains “in limbo,”  Frithsen and Routt County Riders hope for a timeline for development, but have not received clear answers from the Forest Service.

According to Frithsen, once the environmental assessment is signed, the matter will return to the Steamboat Springs City Council and the city attorney.

“There’s still a couple of i’s to dot and t’s to cross,” said Frithsen.

The delays in implementing the adaptive management plan bring up questions outside of the Mad Rabbit trails project, said Desjardin. 

Utilizing an adaptive management plan sets a precedent in the state for future controversial projects, displaying a compromise between opposing positions.

“This is an issue that’s much larger than just Steamboat Springs,” said Desjardin. “This is an issue that impacts our wildlife and recreation across the state of Colorado and the entire Rocky Mountain West … The stakes are higher than just Mad Rabbit.”