A land swap in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys is attracting attention across the state. The legislative exchange, known as the Greater Access for Multiple-Use Experiences (GAME) Act, proposed by Congressman Jeff Hurd (R-CD3), must be approved by Congress before any land changes hands.
There are a lot of questions swirling about the swap. But chasing answers only leaves more questions.
Here is what we know so far.
Scott Smith, owner of Out of Bounds Ranch (OBR), east of Glenwood Springs in the Upper Cattle Creek/Missouri Heights area, initiated the proposed swap.
“The idea for a possible land exchange grew out of the practical challenges created by the intermingled public and private ownership pattern around OBR,” he wrote in an email to The Sun.
He added that the ranch has grazing rights and privileges on the neighboring Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, dating back to at least 1966. He has been thinking about changing the so-called “checkerboard” land ownership pattern to better serve ranch operations and the public.
“A former BLM manager suggested that we speak with 76 Group, which has experience with federal land exchanges, and that began the process of exploring whether an exchange might be feasible,” Smith wrote.
“In identifying potential lands that could provide meaningful public benefits, we sought guidance from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the BLM,” Smith said. “Based on that guidance, OBR subsequently placed the Cow Creek and Timber Valley properties [on the Roan Plateau] under contract specifically for potential inclusion in the proposed exchange.”
The GAME Act is a legislative land exchange. The other kind of land exchange, an administrative exchange, is handled by agency procedure instead of an act of Congress.
A Congressional Research Services 2024 report states, “Land sales or exchanges that Congress directs in statute also generally are subject to [National Environmental Policy Act] review, unless the statute authorizing the sale or exchange expressly waives the requirement or removes all BLM discretion in executing the disposal (or unless the sales or exchanges are otherwise excluded under NEPA).”
Jeff Small is the face of 76 Group for the GAME Act. He presented the proposed bill to the Garfield County Commissioners in July.
Proponents of the exchange, including Small and OBR, have assured the public that there will be opportunities to comment on the exchange, but some are already miffed that no one contacted them about the exchange.
“We never heard this was being discussed,” said Meme Kistner, president of the High Aspen Ranch Homeowners Association at the July 21 Garfield County Commissioner meeting. “No one asked for neighborhood responses even though we are adjacent to this land.”
Small told The Sun in an email that Smith has met with local landowners.
The draft bill states that the exchange must be completed within 180 days after the Act is passed.
In July, Small presented the proposal to the Garfield County Commissioners. He included BLM maps, created in February 2026, depicting the parcels up for trade.
Eastern portion
The eastern portion of the exchange is in the Roaring Fork Watershed east of Glenwood Springs, near Fisher Creek and Consolidated Reservoir. This section includes BLM land that would become private land if the Act is passed. The western section is on the Roan Plateau, and includes two investment properties (Timber Valley Ranch and Cow Creek Ranch) that would revert to BLM land.
The draft GAME Act states that “The term ‘federal land’ means the approximately 2,158 acres of land administered by the BLM.”
But there are some discrepancies about the exact acreage included in the swap. The act states that 2,158 acres of federal land will be exchanged for 2,103 acres of private land. The legal descriptions of the parcels, including township and range, are not included in the draft bill, which states that this information will be added after the act is passed.
The OBR website states that the exchange includes 2,139 acres of BLM-administered land in Garfield County and 40 acres in Eagle County for a total of 2,179 acres.
According to property records and corresponding maps on the Garfield County Assessor’s property location page, the BLM lands in Garfield County involved in the exchange total 2,274.72 acres.
Small told The Sun in an email that the county assessor maps do not always correspond precisely with BLM records or federal exchange boundaries.
“County assessor maps are intended for property-assessment purposes, and the exchange may include only portions of particular assessor parcels,” he explained.
He added that the 2,158-acre figure was included in the first draft of the GAME Act.
“After [Kistner] raised concerns that the acreage was inaccurate, we contacted BLM and the Department of the Interior to confirm the figures,” Small said. “They subsequently provided the updated 2,139-acre figure for the federal lands near OBR Ranch and the approximately 2,179-acre total, which includes the separate approximately 40-acre Eagle County parcel.”
He said that the act and the OBR website were updated to reflect this.
“The current proposal materials, therefore, describe approximately 2,179 federal acres,” he said.
Western portion
The Timber Valley Ranch parcel sits on the Roan Plateau just south of the Rio Blanco County line. The Cow Creek Ranch parcel lies south of it. BLM land lies east and southwest of those parcels, which is why the exchange claims to open up public access to BLM land for hunting. Most of the Garfield County land on top of the Roan beyond Timber Valley and Cow Creek ranches is owned by oil and gas companies or the U.S. Department of Energy as the Naval Oil Shale Reserves, managed by the BLM.
The Cow Creek and Timber Valley parcels weren’t always in private hands. According to Garfield County property records, they were managed by the BLM at some point before 1992, when the agency deeded the land to Aaron C. Woodward, then of Rifle. Woodward changed the authority of both parcels to an LLC in 2012. After that, the parcels became investment properties and changed hands in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Richardson Farms Outfitters, based in Illinois, owns Timber Valley Ranch. Michigan-based MRM Land Group LLC owns the Cow Creek parcel.
There are no ranch buildings on the Roan parcels. The GAME Act states that once they are in BLM hands, they will unlock access to 8,900 acres of public lands. The land is advertised as prime elk and deer hunting areas. Both are in state Game Management Unit 22. Both Roan parcels are under contract with a realtor in Craig.
It’s anyone’s guess if and when this exchange will be resolved. The GAME Act has not yet been introduced into Congress. Hurd’s office has not responded to requests for comment. BLM statewide Director of Communications Steven Hall told The Sun in July that the agency does not comment on pending or draft legislation.