By Esteban Salazar
SLV GO! and staff member Esteban Salazar, our Health & Wellness Program Director, recently facilitated an important conversation with local land management partners around a proposed mountain bike trail expansion project west of the Lime Kiln Trail System. The conversation was spearheaded by Esteban, who is currently working through Arizona State University’s Cultural Resource Management master’s program. The knowledge and skills gained through this graduate program have helped SLV GO! staff hold greater space in conversations around public lands planning, cultural resource stewardship, and National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 regulatory compliance for trail development on public lands.
As outdoor recreation continues to grow across the San Luis Valley, responsible trail planning requires more than simply identifying where a route might go on a map. Public land development happens through careful coordination among stakeholders, land managers, local communities, and subject-matter experts. These conversations help ensure that new trail systems, mountain bike routes, and outdoor access projects are designed with a full understanding of the natural, cultural, historic, and community resources that may be affected.
Public land development occurs after stakeholders and land managers discuss and complete consultation obligations related to potential impacts. Impacts can include threats to biological resources and habitats, including threatened and endangered species considered through the National Environmental Policy Act, commonly known as NEPA. The National Historic Preservation Act, or NHPA, Section 106 regulatory compliance process is also an important consideration for many official undertakings planned on public lands, especially when federal agencies, federal funding, federal permits, or federal approvals are involved.
Section 106 compliance helps ensure that historic properties and cultural resources are considered before a project moves forward. This process may involve archival research to assess historic and previously recorded prehistoric cultural resources in the project area, also known as the Area of Potential Effect, or APE. In many cases, a pedestrian survey covering the proposed project area and appropriate buffers may also be required. This research is conducted to identify and mitigate impacts to sensitive cultural and historic resources.
For trail development, this kind of due diligence is especially important. Trails can connect people to landscapes in powerful and positive ways, but they can also cross areas with deep multi-faceted significance. By strengthening our understanding of cultural resource management and the Section 106 process, SLV GO! is better prepared to participate in collaborative planning conversations that balance outdoor recreation, public access, cultural preservation, and long-term stewardship.
These conversations are part of a broader commitment to responsible outdoor recreation in the San Luis Valley. Whether working with land management agencies, local governments, conservation partners, or community members, SLV GO! remains committed to supporting trail development that respects the layered history of the landscape while expanding sustainable access to the outdoors. Thoughtful planning helps ensure that public lands remain places of shared enjoyment for generations to come.
