That possibility drew environmental activists and legislators to a reception in Grand Junction this week with Colorado Congresswoman Diana De Gette and West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. Nobody’s counting chickens yet, but a huge milestone was passed when the previous chairman of that committee, Richard Pombo, was voted out of office last year.
You might recall that Pombo is the man who wanted to sell off some of our national parks, and sell a right to rename others to the highest bidder. An implacable foe of wilderness, endangered species, and other environmental protection, Pombo was in a position to block any attempt to add to our wilderness system.
In marked contrast, Nick Rahall, a member of the Natural Resources Committee ever since he was first elected to Congress in 1977, is considered a moderate-to-liberal Democrat with a good environmental record. He was instrumental in creating a network of federally protected rivers in the eastern United States, and introduced bills adding to wilderness areas in West Virginia. He received awards from the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society, among others. The League of Conservation Voters gave him a score of 85 percent for his environmental votes.
Securing wilderness designation for qualifying public lands takes strong local as well as Congressional support. It takes years, and sometimes decades, to make this happen. That was the case with Maroon Bells-Snowmass, Hunter Frying Pan, the Collegiates, Raggeds, and West Elk Wilderness Areas in our own neighborhood. The proposed new Colorado Wilderness Bill, first introduced 9 years ago by Diana De Gette, is no exception.
Among the true champions who have worked in the trenches for many years are organizations such as the Colorado Environmental Coalition, Wilderness Workshop, and the Wilderness Society. These groups have identified, studied, photographed, and mapped dozens of previously overlooked areas with wilderness characteristics.
Unlike earlier wilderness acquisitions, which are mostly contained within our national forests, many of the newly proposed areas are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). They are generally lower-elevation areas. Many contain critical habitat for species of plants and animals not found in high mountain forests, and for migrating species seeking lower-elevation winter range.
Only 15 percent of Colorado BLM land is being requested as suitable for wilderness designation. The remaining 85 percent would still be available for other uses, such as oil and gas drilling, road building, and other development.
The citizen groups are also making an impact on local and national government. Several county commissioners attended the Grand Junction meeting. Representatives of Congressmen John Salazar and Mark Udall were also present.
The other hero of this endeavor is Diana De Gette. She knew from the beginning that there was no immediate chance to pass her wilderness bill, but she also knew the power of persistence and “having the stars align,” as she said yesterday. When opportunity knocks, it’s well to be prepared. With a new administration coming into office, perhaps the stars will be aligned at last.
There’s a great sense of urgency, as it has been the policy of the Bush administration to destroy deliberately the wilderness characteristics of the best areas before they can be protected. The Roan Plateau, very recently leased for oil and gas drilling in the face of nearly unanimous citizen opposition, exemplifies this strategy.
DeGette’s bill would protect 1.6 million acres of wilderness. Many parcels are additions to existing wilderness areas. They vary greatly in size and are located in different parts of the state, but all pass the test of being outstanding natural areas with important wilderness attributes.
Our own Wilderness Workshop, based in Carbondale, works closely with Diana De Gette. The “Hidden Gems” campaign, led by the Wilderness Workshop, has identified areas suitable for wilderness designation in the White River National Forest and local BLM lands. Sloan Shoemaker, the Workshop’s Executive Director, and Steve Childs, Chairman of the Board, came to the reception representing the Roaring Fork Valley, along with Steve Smith of the Wilderness Society.
The Dominguez Canyon area is high on the list of places that desperately need and deserve protection, and Rahall, De Gette, and the people representing Udall and Salazar had all been on a site visit before the reception to see this amazing place for themselves. No amount of impassioned rhetoric, or even photographs, can match the experience of personally visiting a place like that. Their day included time rafting on the Gunnison River as well as hiking through the spectacular canyon with its many petroglyphs, pools, and stunning rock formations.
I’m feeling very hopeful!
Connie Harvey is a long time wilderness activist. You can reach her at cmharve@gmail.com.
