For almost two decades stakeholders, conservationists and lawmakers have spoken about landscape protections in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Truly the heart of Southwest Colorado, the San Juans have rich biodiversity, expansive wildlife corridors and form the headwaters of six major rivers.

Opinion Column – Originally published in the Grand Junction Sentinel 

By LYNN PADGETT and JOHN CLARK [Ridgway, CO]

In 2005, conservationists first put some of these ideas into writing when talking about the lands near Lizard Head Pass: “Open meadows, brilliant wildflowers, steep slopes, jagged peaks, clear lakes and streams, and diverse wildlife, including Canada lynx, are all represented. The area offers excellent opportunities for solitude and quiet-use recreational activities.” This proposal is reflected in the San Juan Mountains portion of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act, which is currently pending in Congress.

While the beauty and majesty of the region speaks for itself, conservationists and elected officials have been advocating to protect this landscape and countless others through federal legislation for almost two decades now. Introduced in 2019, the CORE Act aims to protect about 400,000 acres of public lands in Colorado, including 61,000 acres in the San Juan Mountains.

The proposed San Juan Mountains protections in the CORE Act are not just lines on the map, they’re the result of decades of local input. Knowledgeable community members from Norwood, Ophir, Ouray, Ridgway, Silverton, and Telluride have walked hundreds of miles to establish the proposed expanded boundaries in the CORE Act. The CORE Act’s sponsors have met numerous times with San Juan Mountains area stakeholders — including adjacent private property owners, ranchers, and business owners — to ensure there are only positive impacts from the CORE Act. This initiative was born of our own grassroots efforts and this is why, for decades, thousands of activists and community members have been pushing for these protections.

On July 12, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining held a hearing for the CORE Act among other conservation bills. Re-introduced by Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper in May of this year, Sen. Bennett emphasized broad support for the legislation at the hearing.

“Coloradans crafted these bills on kitchen tables and at trail heads across our state,” he stated. “They reflect thoughtful, bipartisan collaboration among Tribes, county commissioners, city and town councilors, businesses, ranchers, sportsmen and conservationists.”

With near universal support in the region, it’s time for Congress to enact the CORE Act into law this year.

So far this year, nearly every day brings with it more headlines of the extreme impacts of climate change: more frequent and severe excessive heat, more intense and frequent storms and damaging floods and wildfires. Protecting intact landscapes, like the CORE Act contemplates by adding protections in the San Juan Mountains, will help to provide more climate-resilient landscapes that are less impacted by human development.

With the support of boots-on-the-ground community members, local elected officials and local businesses that are the foundation of the San Juan Mountains’ outdoor recreation economy, it is abundantly evident that the CORE Act is an intentional, well thought out and essential piece of legislation.

For all of us in the San Juan Mountains who have lived amidst these incredible landscapes, their permanent protection is a top priority. Protecting 61,000 acres of public lands in the San Juans is essential to the region’s wildlife, economy and quality of life. It’s time to get this vitally important legislation across the finish line.

The CORE Act’s widespread support across the San Juan Mountains communities includes elected city and county representatives from every affected county in the region, as well as dozens of local businesses based in Telluride, Ouray, Ridgway, Durango and others.

Originally introduced as the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act, the protections include unforgettable places such as Mt. Sneffels, the spruce forests surrounding Lizard Head Pass and the beautiful high alpine lakes in Ice Lake Basin. The CORE Act does not change any existing land use, land ownership or trails in the San Juan Mountains. It is about having permanent protection to see these lands remain the same as they are now.

[Authors: John I. Clark is the mayor of the town of Ridgway. Lynn Padgett is a Ouray County Commissioner representing District 1.]