Oil and gas leases are moving forward in roadless areas such as the San Juan National Forest’s HD Mountains and the White River’s Mamm Peak.
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The battle to protect Colorado’s wild forests is in the final throes.
This fall, Gov. Owens will present his petition for a Colorado Roadless Rule to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, requesting some form of protections for 4.4 million acres of roadless national forests.
“Gov. Owens has an enormous responsibility before him,” said Environment Colorado Field Director Matt Garrington. “Protecting our roadless forests is critical to preserving our Western heritage.”
The governor’s decision falls on the heels of official recommendations made this September by the bipartisan Roadless Area Review Task Force, made up of state legislators, stakeholders and wildlife and forest experts.
For the past year, the task force held nine public hearings across the state. Once again, the public overwhelmingly spoke out in favor of roadless protection. The task force received over 3,300 hand-written letters and 16,000 petition signatures all favoring roadless protections.
“Many roadless areas serve as increasingly important strongholds for wildlife,” said Suzanne O’Neill, former board president of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, Colorado’s oldest wildlife organization. “Colorado’s public lands habitat is becoming alarmingly fragmented, which disrupts wildlife corridors and reproduction areas as well as spreading noxious weeds.”
Roadless areas provide some of the best, most intact wildlife habitat for big game as well as threatened and endangered species. These areas are also critical for the health of watersheds—new road-building can cause erosion and sedimentation into Colorado’s rivers and streams. |
