The Roan Plateau–A line in the Sand for Hunters & Anglers

For nearly two decades, BHA members have stood alongside fellow hunters, anglers, conservationists, and local communities to defend the Roan Plateau—one of Colorado’s most important wildlife landscapes.

In 2015, BHA’s former Conservation Director John Gale captured why this place has long mattered to sportsmen and women, noting that hunters don’t call the Roan Plateau a “mule deer factory” for nothing. The landscape’s abundant wildlife, intact habitat, and exceptional hunting opportunities have made it a place worth conserving for generations.

Years earlier, Colorado BHA Co-Chair David Lien described the Roan Plateau as a “line in the sand” for Western sportsmen and women who value intact fish and wildlife habitat and exceptional hunting and fishing opportunities.

Those words remain just as relevant today.

The Roan Plateau represents the very best of what public lands can provide: healthy elk and mule deer herds, native trout waters, expansive backcountry, and the opportunity for people to experience wild places on their own terms.

Now, nearly two decades after sportsmen and women first rallied around this landscape, the Roan Plateau is once again at a crossroads.

The Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Fourth Quarter 2026 oil and gas lease sale includes five parcels on the Roan Plateau, putting more than 126,000 acres across Colorado—including portions of this iconic landscape—on the auction block. This proposal comes amid sweeping changes to federal energy policy that are accelerating oil and gas leasing timelines and limiting the ability of land managers and the public to meaningfully weigh in on decisions affecting some of our most valued public lands.

A changing leasing process with lasting consequences

Recent changes to federal policy have dramatically reshaped how oil and gas leasing decisions are made on public lands. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) mandates quarterly lease sales at an unprecedented scale and pace, while removing much of the discretion land managers previously had to defer leases based on public input or resource concerns.

In Colorado, the scale of these changes is significant. For 2026 alone, 403 parcels totaling more than 349,000 acres have been nominated for leasing. By comparison, from 2018 through 2024, a total of 289 parcels covering roughly 242,000 acres were nominated.

This increased workload comes at a time when the Bureau of Land Management’s Colorado workforce has experienced significant reductions in staffing capacity. Federal land managers who remain are being asked to process more decisions with fewer resources and less flexibility.

Good public land management requires careful consideration of wildlife, habitat, recreation, local communities, and other public values. When agencies are required to move faster while having fewer tools to respond to public concerns, the risk of overlooking important conservation priorities increases.

The proposed BLM oil and gas rule would further limit meaningful public participation by reducing opportunities for public engagement in the leasing process and restricting the ability of communities, scientists, and public land users to provide input before decisions are finalized.

A landscape too valuable to overlook

The Roan Plateau parcels proposed for leasing sit within some of western Colorado’s most important wildlife habitat.

The area contains high-elevation watersheds supporting genetically pure Colorado River cutthroat trout. It provides important habitat for greater sage-grouse and serves as a critical migration corridor and calving area for some of the state’s largest elk and mule deer herds.

For hunters and anglers, these values are not theoretical. They are the foundation of the outdoor traditions that connect generations of Coloradans to the land.

Scientific research has demonstrated that energy development can have lasting effects on wildlife. Studies using GPS telemetry have shown that mule deer and other ungulates avoid areas surrounding active energy development, with animals reducing use of habitat near well pads and associated infrastructure.

Even before development occurs, leasing decisions matter. An oil and gas lease creates a valid existing right that typically lasts at least 10 years and can influence future land management decisions for decades. Once a landscape is leased, opportunities to prioritize other long-term conservation outcomes—including wildlife habitat protection, recreation, and community interests—become far more limited.

A history of conservation and compromise

The current proposal is especially concerning given the history of the Roan Plateau.

In 2014, years of engagement among sportsmen, conservation organizations, local communities, and other stakeholders resulted in an agreement that canceled controversial leases on portions of the plateau and created a pathway for long-term habitat conservation.

A key part of that agreement was an industry commitment to establish a conservation fund to support restoration efforts. That commitment was never fulfilled, and the restoration work envisioned through that agreement never occurred.

Now, the Roan Plateau is once again facing pressure for future development.

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers recognizes that energy development is a legitimate use of many public lands. However, multiple use does not mean every acre is appropriate for every use. Some places provide exceptional benefits for fish, wildlife, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation—values that cannot simply be replaced once they are lost.

The Roan Plateau is one of those places.

Keep the public in public lands decisions

Hunters and anglers understand that public lands require thoughtful decisions that balance many different uses. But those decisions must be guided by meaningful public participation, sound science, and the ability of land managers to consider the unique values of each landscape.

Local communities, Tribes, ranchers, state wildlife agencies, and public land users deserve a meaningful voice in decisions that affect the places they rely on. Land managers should retain the ability to make balanced decisions about where development belongs—and where it does not.

The Roan Plateau has been worth defending for nearly two decades because it represents something larger than a single lease sale. It represents the responsibility we share to conserve the landscapes that sustain wildlife, support outdoor traditions, and belong to all Americans.

The public scoping comment period for the BLM’s Fourth Quarter 2026 lease sale, including the Roan Plateau parcels, closes Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. MDT.

Hunters and anglers who value Colorado’s wildlife, waters, and public lands can make their voices heard by submitting comments through the BLM’s ePlanning portal. There will be another 30 day public comment period as well where BHA will be encouraging members and supporters to continue to advocate for this iconic landscape and to urge the BLM to defer oil & gas leases on the Roan Plateau.

Nearly two decades ago BHA described the Roan Plateau as a line in the sand–that line hasn't moved.