Wilderness areas and the small addition of Hidden Gems are worthy of protection. Our Wilderness public land in the West and the Roaring Fork Valley should be cherished and saved for generations to come.
There is a lot of speculation concerning the Hidden Gems expansion of wilderness areas. We are afraid of losing precious trails for our bikes, sleds or dirt machines. Our time in the wild country is our most precious experience. This is our mountain homeland and we want to keep it.
As an individual and a member of the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, I'd like to share a petition going to legislators and others this fall. This petition speaks to the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal as well.
I support the opportunity to enjoy places where nature reigns supreme, where the solitude and quiet is hauntingly beautiful, and where evidence of development and the noise and pollution of off-road vehicles are absent.
I am writing as a mother of four, grandmother of nine, and great-grandmother to two. It is imperative that the Hidden Gems wilderness proposal succeeds. Being raised in the city and now living in and near pristine wilderness, I have a unique perspective on this preservation proposal. Existing near the untainted wildlands and the beasties that call it home is healing physically, mentally and spiritually. It affects all who live and visit our marvelous valley.
A bill that has been considered in the U.S. House of Representatives in some form or another for 20 years is still causing a lot of discussion in the 111th Congress.
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would set aside 9.4 million acres in Utah as wilderness, and prohibit mining, development and off-road vehicles in the area.
The Red Rock Bill, as it is called, has been reintroduced in every congress since 1989, and the strong liberal control of the House may give this bill the best shot it has had in years.
The 1964 Wilderness Act established a vision for the permanent protection of the nation's most remarkable public lands: "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain . . . undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence . . . ."
The lands since designated by law as wilderness in Colorado and around the country preserve a singular natural legacy for today and for countless future generations.
Call it a classic case of "politics as the art of the possible."
It's been 26 years since new wilderness was designated in Montana - the Lee Metcalf Wilderness in the Madison Range signed into law, in 1983, by President Ronald Reagan.
Five years after that, Congress passed a bill that would have given wilderness protection to an additional 1.4 million acres of federal land in the state, but in a summer of massive forest fires and with sponsoring Democratic Sen. John Melcher in a fight for his political life with Republican Conrad Burns, Reagan vetoed it.
The Organ Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the vibrant and growing community of Las Cruces, the state's second largest city, much as the Sandias do to Albuquerque. More than 30 years ago, at the behest of now retired U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, the Sandias were designated as a protected wilderness area.
Many recent letters to this paper have warned mountain bikers and other motorized recreationalists that they need to be aware of the impacts of the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal; that it will have a significant impact on the people living near the White RiverNational Forest. They point out that the Wilderness campaign is serious and will have a significant impact on the way our community collectively decides to manage the landscape in which we live, work and play.
Nancy Williams criticizes the Hidden Gems Campaign for not conducting an economic impact study, and then blithely speculates, without a scrap of evidence, that the Hidden Gems proposal "has the potential to cost this valley millions of dollars in lost revenue and hundreds of jobs due to lost recreation opportunities."
This is the type of thing retailers used to say about downtown pedestrian malls. This will kill our business! Where will our customers park? Tax revenues will plummet!
Letter: Hidden Gems for Wilderness
October 9th, 2009Wilderness areas and the small addition of Hidden Gems are worthy of protection. Our Wilderness public land in the West and the Roaring Fork Valley should be cherished and saved for generations to come.
Letter: Help the Gems help us
October 9th, 2009There is a lot of speculation concerning the Hidden Gems expansion of wilderness areas. We are afraid of losing precious trails for our bikes, sleds or dirt machines. Our time in the wild country is our most precious experience. This is our mountain homeland and we want to keep it.
Letter to the Editor; Gems speak to all
October 6th, 2009As an individual and a member of the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, I'd like to share a petition going to legislators and others this fall. This petition speaks to the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal as well.
I support the opportunity to enjoy places where nature reigns supreme, where the solitude and quiet is hauntingly beautiful, and where evidence of development and the noise and pollution of off-road vehicles are absent.
Letter to the Editor; Necessity of wildlands
October 6th, 2009I am writing as a mother of four, grandmother of nine, and great-grandmother to two. It is imperative that the Hidden Gems wilderness proposal succeeds. Being raised in the city and now living in and near pristine wilderness, I have a unique perspective on this preservation proposal. Existing near the untainted wildlands and the beasties that call it home is healing physically, mentally and spiritually. It affects all who live and visit our marvelous valley.
Editorial; Wilderness protection is important
October 5th, 2009A bill that has been considered in the U.S. House of Representatives in some form or another for 20 years is still causing a lot of discussion in the 111th Congress.
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would set aside 9.4 million acres in Utah as wilderness, and prohibit mining, development and off-road vehicles in the area.
The Red Rock Bill, as it is called, has been reintroduced in every congress since 1989, and the strong liberal control of the House may give this bill the best shot it has had in years.
Opinion: The next chapter in protecting Colorado wilderness
October 5th, 2009The 1964 Wilderness Act established a vision for the permanent protection of the nation's most remarkable public lands: "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain . . . undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence . . . ."
The lands since designated by law as wilderness in Colorado and around the country preserve a singular natural legacy for today and for countless future generations.
Editorial: We all win with Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act
October 6th, 2009Call it a classic case of "politics as the art of the possible."
It's been 26 years since new wilderness was designated in Montana - the Lee Metcalf Wilderness in the Madison Range signed into law, in 1983, by President Ronald Reagan.
Five years after that, Congress passed a bill that would have given wilderness protection to an additional 1.4 million acres of federal land in the state, but in a summer of massive forest fires and with sponsoring Democratic Sen. John Melcher in a fight for his political life with Republican Conrad Burns, Reagan vetoed it.
Editorial: Organ Mountains Sites Deserve To Be Saved
October 5th, 2009The Organ Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the vibrant and growing community of Las Cruces, the state's second largest city, much as the Sandias do to Albuquerque. More than 30 years ago, at the behest of now retired U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, the Sandias were designated as a protected wilderness area.
Letter to the Editor; Shifting the debate
September 30th, 2009Many recent letters to this paper have warned mountain bikers and other motorized recreationalists that they need to be aware of the impacts of the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal; that it will have a significant impact on the people living near the White RiverNational Forest. They point out that the Wilderness campaign is serious and will have a significant impact on the way our community collectively decides to manage the landscape in which we live, work and play.
Letter to the Editor; Gems' proposal won't hurt economy
September 30th, 2009Nancy Williams criticizes the Hidden Gems Campaign for not conducting an economic impact study, and then blithely speculates, without a scrap of evidence, that the Hidden Gems proposal "has the potential to cost this valley millions of dollars in lost revenue and hundreds of jobs due to lost recreation opportunities."
This is the type of thing retailers used to say about downtown pedestrian malls. This will kill our business! Where will our customers park? Tax revenues will plummet!