Baker to Serve as Public Lands Committee Chair for Colorado Counties, Inc.

Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI) members elected Chaffee County Commissioner Keith Baker to serve as Chair of their Public Lands Committee at its January 29, 2021 meeting.

CCI is a non-partisan, nonprofit association of Colorado county commissioners, mayors, and council members that works on bringing local government leaders together around common issues and presenting a united voice to the Colorado General Assembly.

The Public Lands Steering Committee (PLSC) is one of CCI’s nine steering committees that provide general direction to CCI staff on legislative issues for special topics including agriculture, wildlife, and rural affairs; general government; public lands; land use and natural resources; health and human services; taxation and finance; transportation and telecommunication; tourism and economic development; and justice and public safety.

The PLSC is focused on public lands advocacy and representing Colorado counties’ interests through policy development at local, state, and federal levels.

As PLSC Chair, Commissioner Baker will help guide development of and represent CCI members’ positions on legislation affecting county public lands management, use, and stewardship.

Prior to being elected to the two-year PLSC Chair position, Baker served CCI for several years as a PLSC member and on CCI’s Public Lands Traveling Team where he advocated for federal funding support through Payment in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools programs, efforts focused on wildfire mitigation and post-fire recovery efforts, and promotion of the many diverse uses of public lands.

Baker shares that his goals as PLSC Chair include, “asserting greater public lands leadership, policy, and advocacy roles for CCI and Colorado at the state and national levels.”