The true value of the Thompson Divide area is immeasurable:

The Divide provides cool, clean water for downstream agricultural, recreational and municipal users. Its backcountry is  home to abundant fish and wildlife.  Due to its relatively low elevation (approx. 6,500 – 11,500 ft) and abundant moisture, wildlife of all kinds flock to the area. From healthy trout streams and elk havens to prime bear territory and bird habitat, the Thompson Divide is a truly wild and unique place. The area also provides the scenic backdrop for several communities in the Roaring Fork valley and attracts thousands of visitors each year, helping to provide jobs and revenue streams in western Colorado.

Fish and Wildlife Values

• The quality of habitat in the Thompson Divide means that the area contains three premier Colorado hunting units, Units 42, 43 and 521. In recent years, hunters with an over-the-counter bull tag were able to hunt in all three of these units with one tag, making this area a unique and treasured place for elk hunters.

• The area contains several inventoried roadless areas which act as security areas for deer and elk.

• Dozens of species of wildlife thrive in the Thompson Divide including bears, martens, lynx, owls, hawks and many other birds.

• The Thompson Divide forms the headwaters for several major rivers and is critical to area fisheries, including the North Fork of the Gunnison, the Crystal, and the Roaring Fork, a Gold Medal trout stream. These waterways and the nearby Colorado River all contain exceptional fisheries and are prized waters for local and visiting anglers alike.

• Numerous backcountry streams in the Thompson Divide also provide anglers with the opportunity to chase one sub-species of Colorado’s only native trout: the cutthroat. Colorado River cutthroat trout occupy only about 14 percent of their original range; more 70 percent of the Colorado river cutthroat trout habitat that remains is in backcountry roadless areas like those found in the Thompson Divide.

Water Values

• Downstream agricultural users rely heavily on water from the Thompson Divide for their operations.

• Several communities rely on the water emanating from the Thompson Divide for their municipal water supplies including Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Redstone and Paonia.

Economic Values

• In Colorado the outdoor economy contributes more than $10 billion in economic activity and 107,000 jobs annually, all made possible by having healthy landscapes that attract visitors.

• The economic activity created by outdoor pursuits like hunting, fishing, biking, OHV riding, boating, climbing and cross country skiing in the Thompson Divide is the lifeblood of local economies.

• The great thing about the jobs and economic infusion these activities provide is that they can be sustained forever, so long as we retain the integrity of our public lands that support them.

• Hunting and angling alone contribute more than $1.8 billion and 21,000 full-time jobs to Colorado’s economy each year according to the latest figures. In the five counties in which the Thompson Divide lies (Garfield, Mesa, Delta, Gunnison and Pitkin), hunting and angling sustain over 2500 full-time jobs and pump over $137.2 million into local economies each year.

• The excellent habitat, healthy forests and clean water found in the Thompson Divide drive that economic engine. In 2010, recreation in the the White River National Forest (where TD is located) accounted for $12.4 million in revenue while oil and gas accounted for only $2.5 million.

Roadless Area Values

• The Thompson Divide contains thousands of roadless acres which act as refuge for fish and wildlife.

• The top 15 most-hunted game management units (GMUs) in Colorado are all more than 50 percent roadless, including the Thompson Divide’s unit 43. The prime habitat in roadless areas help keep game on public lands and allow for longer hunting seasons.

• Studies have shown that elk habitually avoid roads, and that roads negatively affect both breeding and calving. Energy development always requires dozens of miles of new roads which invariably alter the pristine character of roadless areas.