I am glad Senator Wayne Allard and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave share my and Senator Salazar’s goal of protecting Rocky Mountain National Park. Last year, we introduced legislation which would designate nearly 250,000-acres within the park—including Longs Peak—as wilderness. I am confident that when the senator and Mrs. Musgrave read the legislation and fully understand it, they will support it.
The bill is based on recommendations to Congress by President Nixon. It has the support of the Bush administration and, more importantly, of the park’s neighbors, including Estes Park and Grand Lake and both Larimer and Grand Counties.
In a recent opinion-editorial in this publication, Allard and Musgrave raised concerns about how wilderness designation for the park would affect the local economy, bark beetle mitigation efforts and irrigation water running through the park. Our legislation addresses all of these concerns.
Regarding economic impact, on April 6, 2006, during a hearing in the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, the National Park Service testified that “wilderness designation would not alter any current visitor activities or access within the park, and would allow visitors to utilize the park in the same ways and locations that they presently enjoy.” In other words, by protecting the beauty that makes people want to visit the park -- and by letting them continue their use of the park -- the bill will help ensure continued tourism. And that will benefit not just the nearby communities but all of Colorado.
It’s true that the bark beetle epidemic is increasing the wildfire risk to many Colorado communities –and we have introduced legislation to reduce the risk – but wilderness designation for Rocky Mountain National Park will not add to the problem.
Instead, the bill would bring the park under the Wilderness Act, which says in Section 4d that in wilderness “such measures may be taken as necessary in the control of fire, insects, and diseases.” So, enactment of our bill will not affect the ability of the National Park Service to act to respond to the beetle problem or the threat of fire.
We also have been careful not to affect water supplies. The bill specifically excludes the Grand Ditch and its right-of-way and associated facilities. It does not affect any private lands, such as those owned by the St. Vrain & Left Hand Water Conservancy District, and has strong language to assure that there will be no effect on the Colorado-Big Thompson Water Project, and would not create any new federal water rights.
Finally, the bill would not apply to Trail Ridge Road or other roads used for motorized travel or to water storage and conveyance structures, buildings, developed areas of the Park, and private inholdings.
It’s been suggested we are trying to “rush through the legislative process,” but this wilderness recommendation has been pending in Congress since 1974 and bills have been introduced at least since former Senator Bill Armstrong (R-CO) introduced the “Colorado Wilderness Act of 1982,” which included Rocky Mountain National Park. That’s hardly a rush.
In addition, there have been numerous meetings with the Estes Park and Grand Lake town councils, as well as the commissioners of Grand and Larimer Counties, to address their concerns with the proposal. These communities examined any possible economic and other impacts and found that designating this park as wilderness would preserve the park experience of visitors as well as benefit their communities.
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the nation’s most visited parks and possesses some of the most pristine and striking alpine ecosystems and natural landscapes in the continental United States. The bill constitutes a fair and complete proposal that reflects the legitimate needs of the public. Protecting the existing wilderness values of Rocky Mountain National Park will be good for the park and good for Colorado's economy. It deserves support by the entire Colorado delegation and approval by Congress.