CO Backcountry Moves to the Front of the Class in DC
Monday, July 28, 2008
Denver - Colorado's backcountry has been moving to the front of the agenda lately in Washington, D.C., as wilderness designations make their way through Congress for such areas as the Dominguez Canyonlands on the Western Slope, and portions of Rocky Mountain National Park.
A new Zogby poll shows almost 90 percent of Americans surveyed support such wilderness protection. Mike Matz, executive director of the Colorado-based Campaign for America's Wilderness says the poll results explain why the Colorado wilderness bills are just two of a dozen before federal lawmakers right now.
"It also helps explain why this is a locally-driven process, where people get together and work to protect their special places."
Tony Prendergast is a rancher with the Western Colorado Congress, an alliance formed to work for protection of the quality of life in the region. He's not surprised by the survey results, or by the progress of wilderness bills in Congress; to him, support for wilderness in Colorado is comes naturally.
"It's that wild, pristine legacy I just totally relate to, as a native Coloradan – that's what my state is, you know, my countryside."
A possible wilderness designation for Brown's Canyon near Salida could still surface as well. Despite this month's Zogby poll results, not everyone agrees with the idea of increasing the nation's wilderness acreage. Some groups argue that it's unfair to other uses, including motorized vehicle recreation and logging.
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