08/14/2026
Check it out! CBLT's Gunsight Bridge parcel is a powerful example of how conservation can protect many values in one special place.
Today, people enjoy incredible access to the Slate River and adjacent trails but there’s much more to this landscape than meets the eye. The parcel holds a rich history of mining and railroad activity, as well as a ranching tradition that spans at least five generations.
Thanks to our partners at the Division of Mine Reclamation and Safety, CBLT was able to secure financial and technical assistance to clean up historic coal waste at Gunsight Bridge. The result is a cleaner, safer landscape for people, wildlife, recreation, and ranching.
Conservation is about more than protecting land, it is also about caring for the stories, people, wildlife, and working landscapes that make this place special.
Learn more about the Gunsight Bridge and Smith Hill Coal mine project →
The Smith Hill Coal mine site is an award-winning example of how a large abandoned mining site can be transformed.
Four miles northwest of Crested Butte lies the site of the Smith Hill Coal Mine. From 1884 to 1946 it produced over 1.2 million tons of coal. The town of Anthracite, as well as a railroad line, spring up in support of the mining operation. After it was abandoned, the site fell into disrepair, with large amounts of coal left behind in wetlands and on the steep slopes above the valley. Sedimentation into the Slate River, noxious weeds, and lack of vegetation on coal piles were among the environmental concerns posed by the Smith Hill site.
Starting in 2010, the DRMS worked with the Crested Butte Land Trust to resolve the mining-related environmental and public safety issues related to the 11-acre site. This included restoring wetlands, stabilizing and improving a load-out area used by local ranchers, and stabilizing and revegetating the steep slopes above the valley floor.
The Crested Butte Community was involved, helping to plant willows in the wetlands and shrubs in the uplands, with the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition, the Crested Butte Land Trust, Gunnision Valley High School, Allen Family Ranching, and others lending a hand.
The project was completed in November of 2011, at a cost of $472,572. It received the Western Regional Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Award from the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2014 — and, more importantly, returned this valley to beneficial use for reclamation, ranching, and wildlife.
