U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

August 3, 2005

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Press Secretary

                        202-228-3630

Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary

                        303-455-7600

 

SEN. SALAZAR CONTINUES EFFORTS TO PRESERVE COLORADO’S NATURAL HERITAGE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar continued his efforts last week to preserve Colorado’s natural heritage with his introduction of two pieces of legislation to designate portions of Rocky Mountain National Park as an official wilderness area and to inventory existing open space along the Front Range.

Last week, Senator Salazar introduced legislation, S.1510, to officially designate nearly 250,000 acres of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) as wilderness – approximately 94 percent of the land in the Park, including Longs Peak. These areas, already being managed as wilderness by the National Park Service, are off limits to any mechanized vehicles and are open only to hikers and horses via trails. It will not affect existing roadways, buildings and developed areas, privately owned land, or areas where additional facilities and roadwork will improve park management and visitor services, nor will it create any new federal water rights. Salazar’s proposal complements Rep. Mark Udall’s House bill. The wilderness designation has been endorsed by the Larimer County Commissioners and by the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake.

“The Park Service has already recognized the wilderness value of these lands in Rocky Mountain National Park as part of its management plan. This bill will ensure the Park Service’s vision for the future of Rocky Mountain National Park,” said Senator Salazar.

Also last week, Senator Salazar introduced the “Colorado Northern Front Range Mountain Backdrop Protection Study Act,” S.1511. Salazar’s bill directs the Department of the Interior to produce a study within one year of the bill’s enactment on the status of lands adjacent to Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forests. Specifically, the study will:

  • Evaluate the ownership of the lands;
  • Identify any undeveloped land at risk for development; and
  • Recommend actions that could be taken at the municipal, state or federal level to preserve these lands.

“More than a decade ago, Coloradans sent a clear message that they supported the preservation of our open space. With this bill, we will take the next step by helping involve federal resources in the campaign to protect our open spaces before they are gone forever,” said Sen. Salazar.

Senator Salazar has long been a leader on behalf of conserving Colorado’s land and water. Salazar served as head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources from 1990 to 1994. Senator Salazar also co-authored and helped the fight on behalf of the successful 1992 state constitutional amendment that created Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), the organization that helps purchase and preserve open space in Colorado. Salazar later served as GOCO’s first chairperson.

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