Opinion

Sen. Udall on 50 years of Wilderness Act

EDITOR’S NOTE: U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, who chairs the U.S. Senate National Parks Subcommittee and serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, wrote an op-ed column for the Chaffee County Times, marking the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and reflecting on wilderness’s importance to Colorado’s special way of life.

COLO I Coloradans understand that we don’t inherit the earth from our parents. We borrow it from our children.
That covenant is woven into the fabric of the West, and it’s why protecting our public lands links us not only to our parents and grandparents, but also to the earliest days of Colorado and the rugged men and women who settled the West.
The story of our nation and the American West is an epic chronicle of exploration, ambition and grandeur. As Americans embraced Manifest Destiny — the famous travels of Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike, John Wesley Powell and all the lesser-known treks — they discovered stunning beauty and a landscape that would inspire the song “America the Beautiful” and countless other odes to our nation’s landscape.
Those whose paths crossed Colorado discovered everything from the vastness of the eastern plains to the tallest, snow-capped peaks to the red rock canyons of the Western Slope. Even today, these wild places inspire us and offer a place of refuge to seek the renewal that only nature can provide. We in Colorado understand that nature changes us and gives us perspective on life and what’s truly important.
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act — which has been used to protect many of these breathtaking public lands — we should reflect not only on how wilderness is an essential part of Colorado’s special way of life, but also upon the work we still have to do.
One of the best examples of my ongoing effort to protect Colorado’s natural gems is my grassroots Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Act, which would designate 22,000 acres surrounding the Arkansas River as the Browns Canyon National Monument, including 10,500 acres as Wilderness.
My bill would keep faith with the intent of the Wilderness Act and preserve visitor access and existing legal uses as they are now, including fishing, hunting and livestock grazing.
Browns Canyon also is a great example of how public lands are one of our state’s great economic engines. In fact, more than 100,000 people each year visit Browns Canyon for its unique mix of exciting whitewater and wilderness backcountry.
Browns Canyon, and special places like it, attract visitors from far and wide, fuel local economies and support Main Street businesses in places like Salida, Buena Vista, Durango and dozens of other communities across Colorado.
Wilderness’s importance to Colorado’s special way of life is why I am working to protect more than 61,000 acres of critical public lands in San Miguel, Ouray and San Juan counties through my San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act. It’s why I will continue to listen to community leaders to craft my Central Mountains Outdoor Heritage Act to preserve nearly a quarter-million acres of wildlands important for recreation, hunting, fishing and water supplies in Summit, Eagle and Pitkin counties.
It’s why I led the effort in Congress more than a decade ago to create the James Peak Wilderness, which encompasses more than 17,000 acres along the Continental Divide within the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests.
Wilderness is worth it and it’s an idea I will, with Coloradans by my side, continue to champion in Congress.

Mark Udall, Colorado’s senior U.S. senator, serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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