The Thompson Divide

Help Protect Our Public Lands

The Thompson Divide is home to some of Western Colorado’s most breathtaking landscapes. It’s home to 225,000 acres of public land between the White River and Gunnison National Forest that provides vast opportunities for skiing, hiking, biking, camping, and most importantly, a major watershed of the Colorado River.

The Outdoor State™ and the local community surrounding the Thompson Divide have long fought to protect this land from oil and gas extraction through a series of campaigns, calls to action, and strategic lobbying efforts. In 2023, when the Forest Service and BLM released a plan to remove more than 224,713 acres of potential new oil and gas leases for the next 20 years, many of you joined us in this call to action. As passionate advocates for climate change solutions and land protection, you all showed up in this fight and our collective voices resonated!

Thanks to these efforts, we were able to witness a historic moment when Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, alongside the BLM and US Forest Service, signed the Public Lands Order ensuring a 20-year mineral withdrawal in the Thompson Divide—an essential stride in our ongoing commitment to combating climate change. This is a prime example of the public, organizations and public officials coming together to protect public land, taking steps toward a future of clean air and clean water.

Climate wins can be few and far between! Let’s celebrate them together and thank the decision-makers for protecting the Thompson Divide.