Americans call on Congress to honor veterans and protect public lands including Camp Hale

Washington, DC (November 12, 2020) — A diverse delegation is calling on Congress today to pass the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act (CORE Act) this year. The “Day of Action” participants include 10th Mountain Division veterans, sportsmen and sportswomen, local elected officials, ranchers, and small business owners.  The Day of Action comes on the heels of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining announcing a hearing on the legislation next week. 

The CORE Act, along with the Colorado Wilderness Act,  passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and would safeguard incredible places like McKenna Peak, the Continental Divide, and the San Juan Mountains. Camp Hale, where World War II 10th Mountain Division soldiers trained, would also be protected as the nation’s first National Historic Landscape. 

During the Day of Action, people will be sharing personal testimonials on social media and calling and emailing their congressional representatives.

One participant, Dean Landi, the president of St. Vrain’s Cidery said, “Protecting our public lands directly benefits Colorado’s booming craft beverage industry. Take away our wild spaces, take away our livelihood”

It is more clear than ever how important Colorado’s public lands and waters are to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people have turned to nature for their physical, emotional, and mental health. Coloradans have always known that outdoor recreation and rural communities are the backbone of the state’s economy, and the pandemic has made that even clearer.

Bradley Noone, a Tenth Mountain Division Veteran said, “The Continental Divide and Camp Hale represent a legacy of our past veterans who have fought and served for our country. It’s given me a place to reconnect and a place to find healing.”

The CORE Act was introduced by Rep. Joe Neguse and Sen. Michael Bennet in January 2019 and was also passed by the House with bipartisan support last fall. The bill safeguards some of the state’s most iconic, historic, and ecologically significant public lands while bolstering the region’s ample outdoor recreation opportunities, supporting local economies, and honoring our country’s veterans. A product of a decade of collaboration and compromise between businesses, recreationists, sportsmen, and conservation groups, the CORE Act would protect 400,000 acres of public lands including 73,000 acres of new wilderness and roughly 80,000 acres of recreation and conservation management areas.

“The Thompson Divide Area, it’s so critical for us and our neighboring ranchers and for the whole community,” said Bill Fales, a rancher on the Thompson Divide. 

Given the few legislative days left in this Congress, the NDAA offers an opportunity to advance the bill. While Senator Cory Gardner has yet to take a position on the bill, he said this summer, “We’re trying to figure out a way forward for it. I think there is certainly a way that it can pass.” 

The last major public lands bill for Colorado was passed in the 2015 NDAA to protect the Hermosa Creek wilderness and watershed, and advocates are hoping this Congress does the same.  

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