Canadian lynx and their prey, snowshoe hare, are roaming Jones Gulch between Keystone and Montezuma Road.
Now the U.S. Forest Service wants to shut it down for winter.
“The undeveloped habitat in Jones Gulch is surrounded by developed areas and remains one of the only safe, forested travel corridors for lynx in southeast Summit County,” acting Dillon District Ranger Sam Massman says in a press release. “We are planning to formally close the Jones Gulch area outside of Keystone Resort’s operating boundary to human entry in the winter months to supplement ski area boundary enforcement efforts.”
For over two decades Keystone has roped off its boundary with Jones Gulch. But every season a few skiers ignore the closure.
Forest rangers hope a formal seasonal closure keeps skiers out. They say even light human travel can scare off the hares, and with them the lynx.
“This seasonal closure would have little impact on current winter recreation and is really about maintaining the existing undisturbed terrain in Jones Gulch into the future,” Massman said. “The fact that Jones Gulch has remained largely undisturbed over the past decades shows that we can maintain a balance between winter recreation and protecting important wildlife habitat in Summit County.”
Dillon Ranger District is taking comments now.