The Bureau of Land Management has announced that an
additional 167,000 acres of public land in western Colorado are
eligible for wilderness status. When the BLM’s roadless lands were
first surveyed in 1980, 800,000 acres in western Colorado were
given protection as potential wilderness areas. The new acreage may
now be added to these existing wilderness study areas, a status
that will protect them from new oil and gas leasing, motorized
recreation, road building and similar activities. Although
wilderness study area designation is a long way from permanent
wilderness status, environmental groups are pleased by the BLM’s
announcement. “We’re really glad the BLM is taking another look.”
says Tina Arapkiles of the Sierra Club’s Boulder office. “Colorado
was a different place when the first inventory was done.” But Greg
Walcher, president of Club 20, a regional chamber of commerce in
western Colorado, believes the resurvey was unnecessary and was
undertaken only because of “some environmental group from Boulder
demanding (the areas) be rereviewed.” Written comments concerning
future management of these roadless areas may be submitted by April
9 to the following BLM offices: 455 Emerson St., Craig, CO
81625-1129; P.O. Box 1009, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602; 2815 H Road,
Grand Junction, CO 81506; or 73544 Hwy. 64, Meeker, CO
81641.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Colorado BLM going wild?.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
