New Bill Introduced to Resolve 14er Closures

[amderr22]

The Fix CRUS Coalition announced today the introduction of another bill to address the ongoing closure of several 14ers and prevent additional future closures. Unlike previous attempts, this bill, SB-58, was crafted in consultation with more than 45 different stakeholders, including the CO Trial Lawyers Association, to find a balanced solution that works for everyone. The CTLA has indicated they will not oppose the bill, which significantly boosts the odds of passage.

SB-58 takes a targeted approach to address landowner concerns without sacrificing public safety. Here's what it does:
-Provide more clarity for landowners on what is expected of them,
-Simplify the requirement to post warning signs,
-Provide more protection from lawsuits related to inherent recreation risks, weather, terrain, agricultural and mining structures and operations,
-Clarify that recreational visitors must use designated access points, trails, and routes, or they become classified as trespassers.

It is our hope this bipartisan, common-sense solution will prevail and help resolve longstanding conflicts over landowner liability risk and public access.

You can learn more about the bill on the Fix CRUS Coalition website: https://fixcrus.org/fix-crus-coalition- ... or-access/

Want to Help? Contact your Colorado state representative and senator and urge them to support or co-sponsor SB-58.

We will keep the community updated as this bill moves through the legislature and provide more ways to help and get involved as we move closer to passage.

[Briere]

Excellent to hear! Thank you to all the people who have worked this hard to even get it hear!

[Scott P]

Thanks for posting

[ekalina]

That's great news. I wrote my state representative and senator near the start of the year and encouraged them to vote for CRUS reform this legislative session. I hope the new bill will pass.

[Jorts]

[two lunches]

alex- thank you so much for all the awesome work you and your team are putting into this.

any chance you can share the verbiage so i can start working on an email?

[Boggy B]

Thanks to everyone putting in effort on this.

I think the proposed changes open a path to fix the 14er access situation and look promising for any major landowners blocking access to specific resources that are sought for recreation (rich people who own obvious recreational objectives and are afraid of liability but don't want to deal with trespassers will just post signs).

The revisions seem to be primarily focused on signage as an out, rather than striking the "willful" part of "willful or malicious failure to guard against ..". Unless I'm missing something, they don't appear to offer any better general protections to landowners who either don't know they're in possession of such resources, don't sufficiently understand the hazards which they'd be required to warn against in order to take shelter under these revisions, or don't wish to post signs (maybe the resource is on the same tract as their home and signage would be unappealing, maybe it's just easier or cheaper to bar access than to install signage, etc.).

If I cold-call or knock on doors to request access to recreate on someone's property, is there a part of the would-be revised statute I can point to that protects them better than the current CRUS (which covers "any injury to person or property or for the death of any person caused by an act or omission of such person") from liability for injury due to hazards inherent in the activity or locale, which does not require them to post signage?

Maybe I should bring the required sign warning against the specific hazards inherent in the activity I want to pursue, and show it to them, and post it on my vehicle at whatever point they allow me to enter. Then as long as they take a photo of it before I die, they're covered.

[cottonmountaineering]

thanks for your hard work, FYI you can find your state reps here and send them an email https://leg.colorado.gov/house-district-map

[Trotter]

Thats great news, even the fact the blood sucking suing bots are on board.

[justiner]

I hope that this bill, if passed, sways the Trinchera Ranch to officially allow the public access Mt. Lindsey.

[Briere]

I hope that this bill, if passed, sways the Trinchera Ranch to officially allow the public access Mt. Lindsey.

That's definitely my hope as I get closer and closer to the 58...

[PJ88]

Sent emails to my reps. Lindsey is top of my list as soon as it opens.