Celebrating 35 years of the Wilderness Act

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Myths & Facts about Wilderness

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Happy Anniversary, Baby. The Wilderness act turns 35. Is it grown up yet?

The Colorado wilderness bills
of 1999

The Colorado congressional delegation has introduced five wilderness bills to Congress, the largest of which is the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1999 (H.R. 829). The bills are intended to protect the biologically rich mid- and lower-elevation zones of Colorado and to protect a few of the remaining high elevation roadless areas.

Colorado Wilderness Act of 1999
(H.R. 829)

Colorado has 3,164,545 acres (4.7 percent of the state’s land base) designated as wilderness. Most of these acres (ninety-one percent) protect “rock and ice” and high elevation forest. While majestic and breathtaking, these areas are biologically the least diverse in the state and constitute only a small fraction of Colorado’s native plants and wildlife habitat. More biologically rich areas include river corridors, deep gorges, and lower elevation forests of the Western Slope, none of which are currently protected as wilderness.

This bill is an attempt to correct the mismatch between designated wilderness and biologically important areas. The bill proposes for wilderness designation 1.1 million acres of Bureau of Land Management lands within Colorado, along with roughly 300,000 acres of adjacent Forest Service lands. It is the first comprehensive effort to protect lower-elevation canyon country lands managed by the BLM. The bill embodies the Citizens’ Wilderness Proposal, first published by conservation groups in 1994; it is the focus of a concerted wilderness campaign by a large coalition of over 193 conservation and recreation groups, local governments, and businesses within Colorado. According to the Wilderness Society, the areas proposed as wilderness offer protection for eighty-seven globally imperiled or vulnerable species and an additional eighty-three species specifically considered at risk in Colorado. The bill has been referred to the House Resources Committee, but no action has been taken yet.

Spanish Peaks Wilderness Act of 1999
(H.R. 898/S.503)

Sponsored by Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Grand Junction) and Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), this bill would protect as wilderness the East and West Spanish Peaks. These spectacular towering twin mountains rise roughly 13,000 feet from the plains in south central Colorado near Walsenburg in the San Isabel National Forest. The bill was passed by the House on September 13, 1999; in the Senate, a hearing has been held in the Senate Energy Committee.

James Peak Wilderness Act of 1999
(H.R. 2177)

This bill, sponsored by Rep. Mark Udall (D-Boulder), would designate roughly 22,000 acres of James Peak in the Arapaho National Forest as wilderness. Located north of Denver between the Winter Park Ski Area and the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, the James Peak area is extremely popular with hikers and backcountry skiers. The bill exempts the St. Mary’s Glacier area, the Jim Creek area, and the Rollins Pass road. The bill has been referred to the House Resources Committee, but no action has been taken yet.

Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act of 1999
(H.R. 2178)

Also sponsored by Rep. Mark Udall, this bill would protect over ninety percent of Rocky Mountain National Park, totaling 249,562 acres, as wilderness. First introduced by Udall’s predecessor, Rep. David Skaggs, this bill is supported by the National Park Service and conservation groups. The bill has been referred to the House Resources Committee, but no action has been taken yet.

Black Canyon National Park and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Act
(S. 323/H.R. 1165)

This bill, sponsored by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Rep. Scott McInnis, would expand the Black Canyon National Monument of Colorado, change it into a National Park and add to the designated wilderness there by 4,400 acres. In addition, the bill would establish the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation and would designate the 17,700-acre Gunnison Gorge Wilderness within the Conservation Area. Conservationists have had concerns with language managing ORV use within the area, grazing, and water rights. Status: The bill was voted out of the Senate in early July and was recently passed by a vote of the House. It is awaiting the President’s signature.

Index to bills disucssed on this page

Colorado Wilderness Act of 1999

Spanish Peaks wilderness Act of 1999

James Peak Wilderness Act of 1999

Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Act of 1999

Black Canyon National Park and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area Act

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End of the Trail

Something to Smile About

Yesteryear

THE ROYAL ROBBINS SHOW
"Climbs and Climbers I have known"
Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m.
in the Foss Auditorium, AMC in Golden

or

THE PETE ATHANS SHOW
"The Everest Millennium Show"
Thursday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m.
at the Paramount Theater, Denver

call the CMC at (303) 279-3080
for more information