Nothing says summer in Colorado like the treasured Western Slope peach, and we’ve had a spectacular season.

Thousands of pounds of the succulent fruit have been heading from North Fork Valley orchards to Front Range farm-to-table restaurants and kitchens, inspiring area chefs to give the peach treatment to everything from salsas to roasted pork to pastries.

But our iconic Colorado peaches could be at risk, along with the rest of the organic produce, wines and cheeses lovingly produced on family farms in the fertile North Fork Valley.

Fracking threatens this hub of organic agriculture. A new federal land management plan that was just released could spell trouble for the Western Slope peach and damage Colorado’s emerging reputation as a culinary destination.

Proposals from the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management could turn tens of thousands of acres in the North Fork and beyond into industrial wastelands. Drilling rigs and well pads could be built on public lands next to farms, ranches and schools, and in the middle of three watersheds that provide irrigation and drinking water.