SUMMIT COUNTY — Coming out of Congress’ August recess, , who represents Colorado’s 2nd District, is closing in on plans to reintroduce a piece of wilderness preservation legislation straddling the White River National Forest that has far-reaching implications.
Now eight years in the making, the updated Continental Divide Wilderness and Recreation Act would safeguard more than 92,000 acres of land stretching across Summit and Eagle counties as a follow-up on its predecessor that imagined similar designations for about 58,000 acres.
The bill was last pitched in May 2015, and Polis believes its adoption is more critical than ever before.
“Congress hasn’t done any additional wilderness bills in several years and, in fact, quite to the contrary, we’re fighting the threat of privatizing our public lands,” Polis said. “These are important tourist destinations, they’re important areas that local residents use for quality of life and recreation, and to preserve those … will really help ensure that our communities have those natural resources in perpetuity.”
If accepted, then the law would add wilderness and/or recreation protections to a number of locations, among them the Williams Fork Mountains, Tenmile Range, Hoosier Ridge, Ute Pass and Porcupine Gulch. Areas in Eagle that would also receive the special management classification include Spraddle Creek and Freeman Creek in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, as well as No Name joining the existing Holy Cross Wilderness Area.
.