Minturn's Two Elk Shooting Range has been transformed from little better that a garbage dump to one of the best maintained and clean shooting ranges in the state (if not the best). All of this has been done by a group of dedicated shooters and non-shooters who volunteer their time to preserve this beautiful shooting range.
Thursday April 22nd at 6:00pm the Minturn Shooter Association is holding its annual spring meeting at the Meadow Mountain Ranger Station. On the docket will be the clean up schedule, shooting range improvement projects, and most importantly a discussion and agreement on additional firearms safety rules required for all those who wish to take advantage of the Two Elk Shooting Range. The shooting range is arguably the most beautiful shooting range in the continental USA. We need the help of every shooter to keep it this way.
If you want to have a say in the new safety rules
being proposed for the Two Elk Shooting Range, be sure to attend the meeting at the Meadow Mountain Ranger station at 6:00pm Thursday, April 22nd.
In the middle of last summer, a young man called for directions to the
Minturn (Two Elk shooting Range). As I was explaining to this fellow how to
get to the range I said something to the effect “you look for” and he
interrupted me and said “The junkyard”. I replied “No in fact when you
get there you will find that it is extraordinarily clean.”
I then explained how the Minturn Shooter Association had been formed and
our commitment to keeping the range clean while educating other shooters
about our organization, and the need for their help. I hung up, and being
the opportunist that I am, thought, what a great introduction for this
page! Why do, most firearms enthusiasts expect to find their local shooting
range in no better condition than a trash heap?
Let me give you the good news! Shooters do care! The difference in the
condition of the shooting range last summer compared to the summer before
is nothing short of miraculous. Over the course of the summer even
joggers would stop and compliment me and other shooters on the clean
conditions of the range. With a once a month clean up, help from the
probation department, community service division, the town of Minturn
department of public works and the support of the Eagle/Holy Cross Ranger
District, we reduced both the amount of illegal objects that were brought
to the range (TV, appliance etc.) and the amount of used shooting materials
left behind by 90% plus. It is our mission this year to maintain this high
standard of care plus work towards a goal of a zero tolerance for the shooting
of glass of any kind. We also look forward to rebuilding and repairing the
current fixed structures. Let me just throw one thought out to you:
The first naturalist/conservationists were hunters. Teddy Roosevelt who was an avid hunter
was responsible for signing legislation establishing five national parks, including
Mesa Verde, Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundations, Duck Unlimited, National
Fish and Wild Life Foundation, to name a few were all started to help preserve
our wild lands for further generation of Americans to enjoy. I am not saying
that in our nation’s history firearms enthusiast have not turned to the
dark side, but for the most part the tradition of respecting the natural
environment was passed down from father to son through outdoor shooting sports.
Over the last forty years this tradition has been slowly disappearing to the
point that frankly most shooters just do not know any better than to bring their
trash to the range, shoot it and then leave it behind. At least in this valley
all that changed last summer. The Minturn Shooter Association with the help of
its coalition of supporters have spear headed the project to maintain the Two Elk
Shooting Range. But the really cool part is we met little to no resistance from the
shooters who enjoy using the range. As soon as they were made aware of what we were
doing they jumped on board. It appears that by the end of last summer we had reached
critical mass; Shooters who practiced proper range discipline and maintenance
now out numbered shooters who do not.
Moving forward:
The Minturn Shooter Association will be holding our spring organizational
meeting Thursday, April 23rd at 6:00 pm at the Forest Service headquarters
at Meadow Mountain.
Anyone who is actively involved in shooting sports knows that there is an
ever increasing pressure to close down public shooting ranges.
We need everyone’s help. Join us; Help us clean the range once a month.
Give us your valuable input on ways to improve the range. Most
importantly when you shoot be an example of a knowledgeable, well-trained
shooter and others will learn by observing your actions.
Our monthly range clean up day will be the first Saturday of Each Month from 9:00am to 12:00pm
May 2nd, June 6th, July 4th, August 1st, September 5th, October 3rd, November 7th
