Rocky Mtn Nat. Park - Wilderness Protect ion

“Legislation to grant Wilderness Area Protection to most of the Park!!!

Its currently (and always has been) managed as a wilderness anyway - this would seal the deal and first came up for debate last summer. Maybe now it'll happen.

Yall write your reps and tell them to support the deal!

Then, come out here and hike the Park - you'll love it.


http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5896255

Wild deal to protect RMNPDitch compromise part of bill setting 94% of park as wilderness
By Jeremy P. Meyer
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 05/15/2007 12:38:48 AM MDT

U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, right, hugs Karl Cordova, a biologist at Rocky Mountain National Park, before the formal announcement of new legislation on Monday at Moraine Park in RMNP. The bill would protect nearly 250,000 acres of the park from development, road-building, logging and drilling. (Post / Cyrus McCrimmon)Rocky Mountain National Park - A deal over a ditch brought together sparring sides of Colorado's congressional delegation on a bill that officially designates 94 percent of Rocky Mountain National Park as wilderness.

Monday in a campground framed by the snow-crusted Longs Peak, four members of Colorado's delegation offered details of a compromise bill to keep the park free from development, road-building, logging and drilling.

"When you have a crown jewel like Rocky Mountain National Park, what you want to do is make sure it will be preserved in its pristine status for generations and generations to come," said U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.

The legislation has been a long time coming for the park about 70 miles northwest of Denver.

In 1974 President Nixon recommended to Congress that the park be designated as wilderness. U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, an Eldorado Springs Democrat, has introduced wilderness bills since taking office in 1999.

"I've never gone through labor but eight years is a long time," Udall said. "Sometimes in the legislative world the stars will align."

If the bill becomes law, change will not be apparent to the outside observer because the park has been managed as "recommended wilderness" since 1974.

The bills introduced Monday into both chambers designate nearly 250,000 acres as wilderness, add 1,000 acres along Lake Granby into the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area and provide liability assurances for the owners of the Grand River Ditch within the park.

The legislation also ensures that existing water rights connected to the Colorado Big Thompson Project and the Grand River Ditch will not be affected and allows the creation of a trail corridor along Grand Lake.

"Finally we've got all of the interests together, and we think we've got a good bill," said U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, a Loveland Republican.

Colorado's delegation had been split down party lines on park's wilderness preservation until the compromise.

Allard and U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, a Fort Morgan Republican, introduced their own wilderness bills last year that called for more guarantees for the Grand River Ditch owners.

The ditch is a 17-mile water diversion project built before the park was created. Water Supply & Storage Co. of Fort Collins operates the diversion that supplies 20,000 acre-feet of water to 40,000 acres of irrigated farmland in Weld and Larimer counties.

In 2006, the company was sued by the federal government for a 2003 breach in the ditch that damaged park property. That suit is still in litigation. The compromise bill does not affect that lawsuit, Udall said. It does remove the company from any future liability - as long as the company adheres to operating standards agreed on with the National Park Service.

"I'm glad we were able to work these things out and protect those farmers who depend on that irrigation water," Musgrave said.

"We're all big believers in public parks," said Dennis Harmon, general manager of Water Supply & Storage Co., "as long as it doesn't overly burden our ability to do what we've been doing."

Jeremy P. Meyer may be reached at 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.”

“That's a big ditch.”

“Its a friggin huge scar on the side of the Front Range - but they dug it back in the 1910 era of grand ideas to moisten the eastern side of the Front Range. It didn't really work all that well, but its still around and likely always will be.”

“Eddie, the Mrs and I saw where the breech happened and it pretty much messed up the whole Colorado River Valley in the park.”

“

"If the bill becomes law, change will not be apparent to the outside observer because the park has been managed as 'recommended wilderness' since 1974."

GSMNP has had a bill pending for many years, which would make it a "Wilderness Area." The Park Management has used this as an excuse many times for some of the things they do or don't do. They still seem to do whatever they like, such as using loud equipment whenever and where ever they like. They just use whatever excuse fits the situation.”