craigdailypress.com

Growing up roaming his grandparents' farm in the small town of Carleton, Mich., Luke Schafer was raised to appreciate the environment and the importance of preserving natural settings.

However, the delicate balance between nature and commerce is being threatened in his hometown by overzealous and shortsighted development planning.

Which is exactly the scenario that Schafer, a Craig resident and the northwest organizer for the Colorado Environmental Coalition, is hoping to avoid here in Moffat County.

"I've seen sprawl take away from the natural places that once existed," Schafer said. "I just think there are some place that are far too important to open up for development. ... Protecting them is just something that kind of makes sense to me."

Schafer, who celebrated his 26th birthday Saturday, is a graduate of Central Michigan University, having earned his degree in political science. He has been with the non-profit Environmental Coalition, formerly the Colorado Wilderness Network, since 2004.

"Once you come out, you get sucked in," he said. "I have no plans of leaving."

Conservation work seemed a natural fit for Schafer, he said. He grew up appreciating nature and wildlife in Michigan, and in college he was a conservation activist and helped found an organization pledged with protecting the Great Lakes Basin.

"Natural resource conservation is an important issue to me and I think it is to everyone," Schafer said. He said public lands and natural resources are a "huge part of our quality of life and natural heritage."

As the northwest organizer, Schafer is responsible for working with cities, counties and other agencies on behalf of conservation-related issues. Having a political science degree, you'd think Schafer would be easily attuned to dealing with lobbying and high-ranking officials.

Not so, he said.

He'd rather keep his work at a grassroots level, talking to small groups and local officials. He said it's rare when he deals with someone ranking higher than a county commissioner.

It's public comment and input Schafer is currently seeking on revisions to a Resource Management Plan, or a plan on public land uses, administered by the Little Snake Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management.

The BLM is in the middle of the 90-day public comment period on the plan, Schafer said. The plan, which covers an assortment of natural resource uses, will be in place for the next 15 to 20 years, Schafer said, stressing its importance.

Schafer, who commended the BLM for involving the public in revising the plan, said the CEC believes the resource management plan, as it stands now, is too "unbalanced in the direction of development."

"There are some places too special to drill -- Vermillion Basin is one of those places," he said.

Schafer is not married. His free-time hobbies include hunting, fishing, hiking and reading.

Joshua Roberts can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 210, or jroberts@craigdailypress.com.