The Pathfinder Project is a pilot program initiated by the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests whose purpose is to provide external ideas, perspectives, and options related to strategic planning for instream flow protection on National Forest lands.
A community-based group of representatives from various stakeholder organizations was formed into the Pathfinder Project Steering Committee. This Committee’s mission is to assist the Forest Service in providing appropriate instream flow protection on the GMUG National Forests.
The Steering Committee, through its stakeholder connections and various public outreach efforts, has identified several key issues and has worked to develop a process and possible management strategies to address these issues within a framework of existing federal and state statues, regulations, laws, and policies. The Steering Committee has focused on developing what they believe to be cooperative and coordinated strategies that could potentially provide needed instream flows on National Forest lands.