Proposed Browns Canyon Wilderness Moving Through Congress

After three years of intense on the ground organizing and building government support, the Browns Canyon bill is starting to move forward through Congress. The proposed Browns Canyon wilderness bill was heard in the Forest and Forest Health House Subcommittee on Thursday, July 27, 2006. The subcommittee hearing went extremely well and two local citizens from the Arkansas Valley testified at the hearing in Washington D.C. This is fantastic news and a first step as the Browns Canyon wilderness bill moves through Congress and towards wilderness designation. The Browns Canyon wilderness area would add nearly 20,000 acres of pristine Colorado wildlands to the National Wilderness Preservation System.
 

Near the mouth of Middle Cottonwood Creek. (Kurt Kunkle)

The Issue

Background
The proposed Browns Canyon Wilderness area is located in Chaffee County and is part of the Southern Mosquito Range. The famous Browns Canyon whitewater run on the Arkansas River flows just outside of the proposed wilderness area. From the Arkansas River the proposed area rises eastward to the higher forested areas of Aspen Ridge.

Browns Canyon is administered by two federal land agencies -- the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Royal Gorge Resource Area and the Pike and San Isabel National Forest.

In Browns Canyon, streams have cut steep gulches through the pinkish granite and metamorphic rock leading down to the Arkansas River. Aspen Ridge affords a magnificent, sweeping view across the canyon to the 13,000 and 14,000-foot peaks of the Sawatch Range. River recreationists enjoy this landscape, as well as sightings of bighorn sheep and other wildlife, from their boats and rafts. Elevations in the proposed wilderness area range from 7,300 feet to 10,000 feet, rising dramatically from the Arkansas River up to Aspen Ridge. As elevation increases, the vegetation changes noticeably. The pinyon-juniper trees that dominate the arid lands along the river give way to Douglas fir, ponderosa and limber pine, and large stands of aspen.

These lands are important wintering ground for deer and elk. There is a herd of approximately 150 bighorn sheep in the area, increased from a small population reintroduced in the 1980's, as well as eight raptor species, including golden eagles, prairie falcons, and great-horned owls. Mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes and pine martens also call Browns Canyon home.

Hikers in the proposed Wilderness.

Why Wilderness is Important
The permanence of wilderness designation will ensure that the natural legacy of Browns Canyon remains intact for future generations of boaters, hikers, hunters and explorers. Wilderness designation provides guidance for forest management and preserves opportunities for scientific research. Non-mechanized recreation and trail maintenance will continue, as will emergency vehicle access.

Wilderness designation will protect the Browns Canyon bighorn sheep population as well as the many other important wildlife species in the area. It will preserve high alpine forests, shimmering aspen groves, and wild vistas. Without wilderness protection, it is uncertain how long these landscapes will remain undeveloped, or how long the mountain lions, black bears and pine martens will be able to roam and reproduce in their natural territory.

Progress Towards Wilderness
The Browns Canyon Wilderness Act, HR 4235/S 1971, was introduced into both houses of Congress by Congressman Joel Hefley (R-CO) and Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) in November 2005. Conservation groups and local citizens have been advocating wilderness designation for Browns Canyon for over a decade. In 1991, the BLM recommended a portion of the proposed wilderness for protection, making it a Wilderness Study Area (WSA). Since 1994, citizens have proposed the WSA, as well as surrounding BLM and National Forest land, for wilderness designation. This expanded area is included in Congresswoman Diana DeGette's Colorado Wilderness Act of 2005 (HR 4587).

Friends of Browns Canyon Wilderness, a local grassroots group based in Salida, Colorado, has led the effort to involve the local community and local businesses in preserving the stunning natural scenery of the proposed wilderness. Due to the energy of this dedicated group, numerous local organizations and stakeholders have endorsed the Browns Canyon Wilderness proposal.

In August 2005, a public meeting was held in Salida and over 75 local citizens attended. An amazing 20 out of the 21 people who spoke up were in favor of the Browns Canyon Wilderness proposal. The citizens who spoke up were passionate and eloquent and suggested a myriad of reasons that Browns Canyon merits wilderness designation. After the public hearing, Congressman Hefley accepted public comments -- of the approximately 150 comments received regarding the wilderness proposal, 78% of these were in favor of wilderness designation.

Update

Near Cottonwood Creek in Browns Canyon.

The wilderness bill has bi-partisan support of the entire Colorado congressional delegation.

If you are a Colorado resident and want to see Browns Canyon designated as wilderness please take a moment and write, call, fax or email to Senator Wayne Allard and thank him for introducing S 1971 and urge him to push the bill through the Senate.

Send letters, fax, emails or call to:
U.S. Senator Wayne Allard
7340 E. Caley, Suite 215
Englewood, CO 80111

Phone: (202) 224-5941
Fax: (202) 224-6471

Resources

Fact Sheet
Map (low res/high res)

Press
Denver Post Editorial (7/30/06)
Rocky Mountain News Editorial (7/24/06)
Salida Mountain Mail (9/16/05)

Browns Canyon Wilderness Proposal Supporters and Endorsers

Chaffee County Commissioners
Friends of Browns Canyon Wilderness
Arkansas River Outfitters Association
Buffalo Peaks Back Country Horsemen
Collegiate Peaks Trout Unlimited
Salida Mountain Trails Park and the Arkansas Valley Cycling Club
International Mountain Bicycling Association
Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition
Colorado Wilderness Network
Audubon Colorado
Catamount Institute
Colorado Native Plant Society
Colorado River Outfitters Association
Great Old Broads for Wilderness
Mountain Chalet
The Evergreen Naturalists Audubon Society (TENAS)
Trails and Open Space Coalition
University of Colorado Environmental Center Wildlands Project
Wilderness Study Group at the University of Colorado

For More Information

For more information or to find out how you can help make this wilderness proposal become a reality, please contact Lisa Smith at 303-405-6707.