Keeping Faith with the Wilderness Act
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Dear Fellow Coloradan,
From Colorado's earliest days, connecting with wilderness has been part of what defines us as Westerners. As a lifelong outdoorsman and leader of the Colorado Outward Bound School for 10 years, I can attest to the importance of Colorado's wilderness to our economy and our special way of life.
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act — an incredibly forward-thinking proposal that has protected more than 3.6 million acres in Colorado alone. From Maroon Bells and Mount Evans to the Great Sand Dunes and Rocky Mountain National Park, the Wilderness Act ensures generations to come will be able to experience and enjoy these treasures — and many others — for another 50 years and beyond.
To celebrate, I’d like to invite you to share your favorite photos of Colorado wilderness and the great outdoors on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #COwilderness50. Here are some of my favorites of the ones you’ve shared so far:
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I’ve been proud to champion proposals in Congress to protect Colorado’s wilderness. I led the successful effort more than a decade ago to create the James Peak Wilderness, which protected more than 17,000 acres in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. I also led the effort to pass the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness and Indian Peaks Wilderness Expansion Act, which designated nearly 250,000 acres of Rocky Mountain National Park as Wilderness.
However, we still have work to do. That’s why I’ve introduced a bill to create the Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness to safeguard one of the most popular whitewater rafting corridors in the country. I’m also leading the fight to protect 61,000 acres of critical public lands in San Miguel, Ouray and San Juan counties through my San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act. And I’m continuing to partner with local leaders to develop my Central Mountains Outdoor Heritage Act to preserve nearly a quarter-million acres of wildlands important for recreation, hunting, fishing and water supplies in Summit, Eagle and Pitkin counties.
These are just a few of my favorite spots in Colorado’s great outdoors. But I have far too many favorites to name here, so I’ve compiled a list of some of my most-cherished Colorado wild places.
I'm heartened to have Coloradans by my side — including the future stewards of this great resource — as I continue to fight to safeguard our wilderness. I was honored earlier this summer to join a youth corps working to conserve one of our most-loved wilderness areas, the Mount Evans Wilderness near Georgetown, and 14er Mount Bierstadt. Their work — and the work of other young people and volunteers across Colorado — show that Coloradans cherish these landscapes, and that young people are ready and eager to serve as future conservation leaders.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, let's redouble our efforts to safeguard Colorado's special places and ensure this monumental idea remains as alive today as it was the day it became law.
Warm regards,
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