The Conservation Alliance

Project Update

Two important Congressional efforts are underway that will make this proposal a reality; Senator Mark Udall's Central Mountains Outdoor Heritage Proposal and Congressman Jared Polis's Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act. Central Mountains Outdoor Heritage Proposal (http://www.markudall.senate.gov/?p=form&id=52) Colorado's Senior Senator, Mark Udall, announced on February 26 2012 that he will begin the process of taking public input and doing stakeholder outreach for a possible Wilderness Bill. His process will hopefully shape a Bill that he will introduce into the Senate. His maps show 32 areas in three Colorado counties (Pitkin, Eagle and Summit) totaling about 335,000 acres. The areas are a mix of designated as wilderness and special-management areas. Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act (http://polis.house.gov/Wilderness/) Congressman Jared Polis, who represents the 2nd Congressional District of Colorado, introduced the Summit and Eagle County Preservation Act into both the 211th and 212th Congresses. Congressman Polis' bill protects 167,000 acres of wildlands in Summit and Eagle Counties, designating nearly 90,000 new acres of wilderness, and preserving an additional estimated 80,000 as special management areas or companion designations. About 130,000 acres are in Eagle County and 40,000 in Summit County. The Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign had morphed into the Central Mountains effort. Now that there is a House Bill and we are close to having a Senate Bill, it’s our job to support the efforts of our legislators. The proposal includes such gems as Acorn Creek where the fall aspen turn bright gold and shimmer in the fall light. Bull Gulch where low elevation red rock canyons and Doug fir forests at the banks of the Colorado river provide excellent low elevation wildlife habitat. And Thompson Creek where water splashes over large round rocks past stunning rock fin formations that make you wonder if you are in Colorado or Utah. The proposal focuses on bringing lower elevation lands (more biologically productive and safer access n the winter) into the wilderness preservation system. But the jagged alpine ridges and rolling alpine tundra of Red Table Mountain and Tenmile (to name a few) needed to be included! The proposal includes Wilderness designation for the majority of the places. Where lands deserving protection have uses such as mountain biking and forest thinning for fire protection we included Special Management Areas or Companion Areas to allow for these important uses. We are working with the International Mountain Bicycling Association and the Summit Fat Tire Society to include more ‘Companion Areas’ in the proposal. Companion Areas will protect lands adjacent to the proposed wilderness areas that have great mountain biking trails. Join CEC here: http://www.ourcolorado.org/get-involved/