In Colorado, public lands are not only at the heart of our state’s character, but they are central to our economic growth. Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry brings in $28 billion for our state and $10 billion in workers’ wages, employing over 229,000 people. Over 82 million visitors from across the globe come to Colorado year-round to visit our national parks and participate in outdoor recreation opportunities that we are surrounded by every day.
From Ptarmigan Peak in Summit County, to Mount Sneffels in Ouray, and Curecanti National Recreation Area in Gunnison, these beautiful and wild places inspire Colorado’s commitment to sustainability, and they define our state’s spirit. When we invest in our public lands, we are investing in our economy, our wild places and wildlife and the assurance that future generations will enjoy these treasured places.
That’s why I’ve been leading legislation through Congress to protect the lands we love and invest in our outdoor recreation economy. And I am proud that this week my bill, the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, became the first statewide Colorado wilderness legislation to pass the U.S. House of Representatives in over a decade.
The CORE Act was crafted by Coloradans in county commission buildings all over the state over a decade, as neighbors sat together to iron out their differences and do something special for the next generation of Coloradans. It is a product of collaboration, careful consultation, and negotiation.
Each portion of the bill has been worked on by the communities that would be most affected and has earned the support of their respective county commissioners. The combination of each provision in this package makes it a historic preservation package for Colorado’s public lands and for Coloradans. For 10 years these counties have been looking to Congress to help them find better ways to permanently manage these critical public lands, and it’s time we finally answer.
The CORE Act would preserve approximately 400,000 acres of public land across our state, including nearly 100,000 acres in White River National Forest in Summit and Eagle Counties in my district. The bill offers 73,000 acres of new wilderness areas, the highest level of protection afforded to public lands, to provide sanctuaries for hikers, backpackers, hunters, anglers, horseback riders, skiers and other outdoor recreationists. In addition, it preserves 80,000 acres of new recreation and conservation management areas and removes over 200,000 acres in the Thompson Divide from future oil and gas development. The bill also designates the first-ever National Historic Landscape at Camp Hale to honor Colorado’s military legacy and veterans from the Army’s 10th Mountain Division who fought in World War II.
The CORE Act has broad local support from a diverse group of stakeholders. The bill considers ranchers and farmers by allowing for continued grazing in areas proposed for wilderness or special management designation. And it considers resource management, providing explicit permission for the Forest Service to carry out activities that they deem necessary to control the spread of disease and fight wildfires, while also including Colorado’s preferred “headwaters language” to protect existing water rights and facilities.
Coloradans resoundingly support the preservation of public lands. A majority of Coloradans say they participate in outdoor recreation opportunities each year and the Western Slope Coloradans impacted by this legislation support investment and further preservation of our treasured lands. As representatives in Washington, we should be following the lead of our constituents and local communities, and that is exactly what this legislation proposes.
We have an opportunity now to complete the vision and hard work of our county commissioners who have been working on this bill for over a decade.
As this legislation heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration, I urge all my colleagues to support it. It’s time we pass wilderness legislation that was created in Colorado, by Coloradans, to conserve Colorado.
Joe Neguse represents Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
