Colorado has 8,350,005 acres of BLM lands and 14,498,801 acres of National Forests. The last wilderness areas designated in Colorado were in the Omnibus Law signed by President Obama in March 2009: Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, and 249,339 acres in the Rocky Mountain National Park
Campaigns
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains Wilderness Proposal seeks to protect some 33,000 acres of pristine forest and low elevation lands in San Miguel and Ouray Counties. The proposal would protect additions to existing wilderness areas as well as some of the last remaining large tracts of undisturbed wild lands in the two counties, including habitat for threatened or endangered Canada lynx, Gunnison sage grouse, and Colorado river cutthroat trout. The proposal enjoys broad local government, business, and community support. Recreational opportunities abound, such as horseback riding, hiking, hunting, fishing, climbing and rafting.
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White River National Forest
The Hidden Gems proposal would designate lands in the popular White River National Forest, and nearby Bureau of Land Management lands in western Colorado, expanding existing wilderness areas and adding several new areas. There are hundreds of thousands of acres of potential wilderness in this region. Whereas most Colorado wilderness is high-elevation, the Hidden Gems proposal contains mid-elevation lands that are more ecologically diverse and provide some of the most important habitat for imperiled species, including the recently reintroduced lynx.
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