Polis releases draft wilderness legislation

Thank Congressman Polis for his efforts
to secure Wilderness in Summit and Eagle Counties!

Congressman Polis has released draft legislation for new wilderness in Eagle and Summit Colorado, after years of efforts by citizens and the Hidden Gems Campaign. This is a tremendous step that heightens our chance of seeing new wilderness protections in Central Colorado by the end of the year.

Representative Polis' draft bill, called the "Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act," takes much of the vision of the Hidden Gems and turns it into a concrete reality. At no point in the past 10 years of working towards new wilderness designation have we been closer than we are today! We owe Congressman Polis a huge thank you for his work to protect these important landscapes - he needs to hear how important this is to his constituents.

Please, if you have a moment, call Mr Polis' office and express your support at (303) 484-9596, or e-mail him and thank him by clicking here.

The draft version of the Eagle and Summit County Wilderness Preservation Act would protect nearly 170,000 acres in Eagle and Summit County are proposed for protection and include all or portions of the following Hidden Gems proposal areas: Adam Mountain, Acorn Creek, Bull Gulch, Castle Peak, Freeman Creek, Hoosier Ridge, No Name, Pisgah Mountain, Porcupine Gulch, Ptarmigan A, Red Table, Spraddle Creek, Tenmile, Ute Pass, West Lake Creek, Williams Fork, and Woods Lake wilderness proposal areas. Also included are the Hoosier Ridge and Tenmile companion designation areas.

If approved, areas like Spraddle Creek, a vital wildlife corridor within walking distance of Vail Village, and Red Table, a massif that straddles the landscape between Gypsum and the Fryingpan River Valley and provides important summer and winter habitat for elk, deer and bighorn sheep will be protected. All of the areas in Congressman Polis' draft bill serve to protect vital habitat, precious landscapes and important water resources!

The companion areas are located in Summit County, and were the result of negotiations between Hidden Gems, the town of Breckenridge and the Summit Fat Tire Society, a mountain biking group and protect a larger landscape including new adjacent wilderness additions. The special management areas are designed to provide wilderness quality landscape protection while supporting continued military helicopter training.

Getting to this point would not have happened without the tremendous amount of work done by everyone who has volunteered, written letters, attended public meetings and stood up for new wilderness in Central Colorado! - Thank you!

And thank you Congressman Jared Polis!

This is a key moment in all our efforts to protect wildlands in the name of wildlife, clean water and future generations. The next step is to get a similar bill introduced in the Senate. Can you take a moment to e-mail Senators Udall and Bennet and ask them to introduce legislation protecting the Hidden Gems? Thank you.

Red Table mountain

Here’s what some local elected officials are saying about the Polis proposal:

Peter Runyon, Eagle County Commissioner: "I'm thrilled with the professional manner in which Congressman Polis' office has moved forward this vibrant piece of proposed legislation that will preserve wilderness for future generations."

Karn Stiegelmeier, Summit County Commissioner: "Rep. Polis' action is a giant step forward in securing Colorado's natural legacy. Wilderness designation will help protect our remaining intact ecosystems, wildlife habitat and migration corridors. I applaud Congressman Polis, his dedicated staff, and the many groups of people doing the difficult work of reaching consensus."

John Warner, Breckenridge Mayor: "I am happy to hear Congressman Polis has explored this subject. I admire him for stepping into the fray and gaining a greater understanding of the various wilderness and other public lands proposals for Summit County. I think the process was very positive. It included a lot of different groups. I feel like Rep. Polis helped bring together wilderness advocates, mountain bikers and others to move this forward. I also think it was great that the wildfire council had some sway in the talks, with watershed protection and wildfire mitigation."

Pete McBride, Basalt Town Council: "Congressman Polis deserves credit for this visionary action. Wilderness is a key part of the conservation toolbox, and conservation is critical to the future of Colorado. As a native Coloradan, a rancher, an outdoor enthusiast, a resident and trustee of the town of Basalt, I know that protecting the Fryingpan River watershed, which this bill would help do, is critical to the health of our community and the environment."

Jon Stavney, Eagle County Commissioner: "Wilderness is vital for our watersheds, ecology and our economy - it's why we live here. I'm excited that Congressman Polis saw the remarkable values of these areas and that his office came to the same conclusions that our Board did with regard to supporting some areas today and continuing to work on building consensus about the other equally important areas."

Jeff Berino, Deputy Chief, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue: "For Summit County's fire districts, community safety is a priority when reviewing any wilderness proposal. Wilderness proponents have addressed our concerns, chiefly by establishing some buffer zones of varying widths between the proposed wilderness boundaries and existing development. In collaboration with the Forest Service, these buffer zones allow us a degree of flexibility in the prevention and suppression of wildfires in critical areas."

Jay Heeter, Colorado Mountain Club: "Congressman Polis' proposed bill will conserve some of Colorado's most valuable areas. These wilderness designations offer the strongest possible protection for our wildlife, watersheds and outdoor recreation. Coloradans generations from now will thank Representative Polis for his vision and his work."

Steve Smith, Assistant Regional Director: "The Wilderness Society: This is a true community proposal. Starting with a collection of the best wild landscapes in our region, it has been refined in response to local needs for water supplies, wildfire management, agriculture, recreation, even military training. Everyone should support Congressman Polis' smart, visionary initiative."

Kurt Kunkle, Public Lands Organizer, Colorado Environmental Coalition: "I'm proud of all that hard work that's gone into making this a solid proposal for protecting some or our amazing public lands. We all need to step up and help Mr. Polis's pass legislation this year."