Protecting Colorado’s
special places

By Vera Smith, Conservation Director

Each issue, we devote significant space to discussing the various ins and outs of land policy and describing our efforts to protect places as wilderness or as quiet non-motorized zones. Most of the time, the articles are about places we are working to protect and the threats these unprotected lands face.

Once in awhile, however, it is necessary simply to sit back and contemplate our successes, not only to celebrate but also to recognize the years—even decades—of hard, often agonizingly difficult and emotional, work by a dedicated corps of citizens, conservation organizations, land managers, and elected officials that made these successes possible.

The places we relish for hiking—the Wilderness Areas, the open space parks, National Parks, and Wild and Scenic Rivers—are not the consequence of happenstance, but rather are hard-won political victories in which coalitions of supporters and elected officials secured protection, often after years of negotiation, for special places. As some may recall, it took several decades to pass the Wilderness Act, arguably one of this nation’s most significant victories in land conservation.

As the year comes to a close, join with us in celebrating the victories of the last five years. We extend our gratitude to the members, citizens, and elected officials who worked long and hard to secure permanent protection for Colorado’s special places.

Spanish Peaks Wilderness Area. A twenty-year battle to secure protection for 18,000 acres encompassing the Forest Service’s Spanish Peaks near Trinidad finally ended with passage of a bill in 2000 designating the twin peaks as wilderness (the easternmost peaks of the entire Rocky Mountains).

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and Wilderness Area. This legislation expanded Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument by about 10,000 acres and redesignated it as a National Park. It also set aside the 17,700-acre Gunnison Gorge Wilderness immediately downstream, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and added 4,400 acres to the existing Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness Area within the Park. Finally, the Act created the 58,000-acre Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area that is managed by the BLM. For more information, see http://www.co.blm.gov/ubra/gorgenca.htm.

Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area and Black Ridge Wilderness. After decades of mapping and years of citizen advocacy, this 75,000-acre wilderness and 123,000-acre Conservation Area (which includes the Wilderness area) was designated in 2000. The Wilderness borders the Colorado River between Fruita and Westwater and includes some of Colorado’s most spectacular and remote desert canyons. The National Conservation Area ecompasses the popular Kokopelli’s mountain bike trail. For more information, see http://www.co.blm.gov/gjra/ccnca/ccncahome.htm.

James Peak Wilderness and Protection Area. In 2001, the 17,000-acre James Peak Wilderness and 19,000-acre James Peak Protection Area were designated, creating a high-elevation ecological corridor that stretches from Berthoud Pass north to the Wyoming border. This legislation expanded the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area by about 3,000 acres to enhance this ecological connection.

Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. The area in Colorado’s Southwest corner is world-renowned for its cultural resources. In 2000, this 164,000-acre area was designated a National Monument to protect the Native American heritage and the unique landscape.

Great Sand Dunes National Monument Expansion. In this 2000 act, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument was significantly expanded to create one of Colorado’s premier conservation areas. Contiguous with The Nature Conservancy’s Zapata Ranch, the expansion created a reserve of over half a million acres that protects vital wetlands on the floor of the San Luis Valley, the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and the ecosystems in between.

This half-million acre area is managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy. P