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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Coloradans Urge Congress to Extend Wilderness Protections

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Wednesday, June 15, 2016   

DENVER -- Conservationists from Colorado and across the country are gathering today in Washington, D.C., to urge lawmakers to pass wilderness legislation, including a measure that would preserve 58,000 acres in Summit and eastern Eagle counties.

Russ Bassett, an Iraq War veteran and volunteer with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers who spends just about every weekend fishing, hiking or hunting in Colorado's wilderness areas, said he's making the trip because it's a way for him to give back.

"I want to make sure that it's there for other veterans when they come back from a war zone and other anglers that enjoy a more wild experience," he said. "I really enjoy it and I want to make sure it's protected."

Last year, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., introduced the Continental Divide Wilderness and Recreation Act in the House, and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., submitted companion legislation in the Senate. Bassett said he's hopeful the measure will get a hearing before Congress adjourns early for the election season and before President Obama leaves office.

Bassett, who has a track record for helping move legislation, said he testified in front of the Colorado General Assembly in favor of the nation's first Public Lands Day in part because outdoor recreation contributes more than $34 billion in state economic activity. He said the industry deserves the same attention from lawmakers as oil and gas companies.

"Our recreational economy is so important, especially here in Colorado," he said. "Outdoor recreation is very much an economic driver and it should have the same sort of seat at the table as these other industries."

The event in Washington occurs during national Great Outdoors Month, recently proclaimed by the president. Wilderness advocates also will press Obama to solidify his conservation legacy by designating additional national monuments.

The Parks and Wildlife report is online at cpw.state.co.us.

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Support for this reporting was provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts.


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