Overview
An organization has been formed to fast track legislation, which would designate a massive amount of new Wilderness in Colorado. Calling themselves the Wilderness Workshop, this group has recently announced the “Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign.” The Hidden Gems proposal would seek to expand existing Wilderness boundaries in the White River and Gunnison National Forests by some 450,000 acres. They have been meeting with legislators, county commissioners and other groups in the attempt push legislation through as early as Fall 2009.

Background
Colorado’s Wilderness activists have made no secret about their desire to convert all of U.S. Forest Service Roadless Areas to Wilderness. Currently, Roadless and Areas under consideration in Travel Management Plan proposals allow a wide range of recreational activities, including snowmobiling, mountain biking, hiking and off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. Wilderness designation will permanently close off all travel within these areas with the exception of foot and horse traffic.

The Hidden Gems proposal is a first step in achieving that ultimate goal. The new group believes that a “favorable climate” in the current U.S. Congress will allow them to push legislation through quickly. Congressman Jared Polis has publicly stated on his website he will support “developing wilderness legislation”.

This Wilderness proposal is not endorsed by the US Forest Service and has been formulated entirely by privately funded environmental interest groups.

More information can be found at the following websites:
The organization who is working to oppose Hidden Gems: www.whiteriverforestalliance.org
For Hidden Gems: www.wildernessworkshop.org & www.whiteriverwild.org

How Does This Affect You?
This proposal would close off 450,000 acres of forest service land to all mountain bikes, motorcycles, chainsaws, ATV’s, snowmobiles, hunters and fishermen who access these lands other than on foot and horseback, and livestock growers and landowners whose properties back up to proposed Wilderness. The only access will be by foot and horseback.

List of Points
1. Many popular mountain bike, OHV and snowmobile recreation destinations will be closed by this proposal
This proposal will restrict the ability of the majority of the population to access and enjoy our public lands. List of proposed areas of Wilderness designation are: Four Mile, Clear Fork, Spruce Mountain, Basalt Mountain, Hay Park, Red Table, Hagerman Pass, Huntsman’s Ridge, Assignation Ridge, Treasure Mountain,Thompson Creek, Hayes Creek, Ruby Lakes, Wildcat, Bull Gulch, Castle Peak, Pisqah Mountain, Woods Lake, Lower Piney, Spraddle Creek, Williams Fork, Tenmile, Hoosier Ridge, Ptarmigan, Porcupine Gulch.

2. The Hidden Gems tips the balance
There is already a huge amount of Wilderness in this region. In addition to the existing Wilderness, there are tens of thousands of acres that are already off limits to motorized and mountain bike recreation. Recreational and motorized use is an area of increasing economic growth. The economic hardship that would incur in the state of Colorado from loss of revenue thru recreational use includes hunting, fishing, including snowmobiling, mountain biking, hiking and off-highway vehicle (OHV) Designating these areas Wilderness would result in loss of tourism revenue and related jobs.

3. There are better options than Wilderness designation
Wilderness activists often say Wilderness is the only permanent protection against damaging development. This is not true. Other designations such as National Recreation Areas and National Conservation areas are available. They provide the exact same level of protection as Wilderness, but still allow recreational uses such as mountain bike and snowmobile uses to occur.

4. Wilderness is NOT good for the Forest
Due to decades of fire suppression and past commercial logging (these lands are not as pristine as the Wilderness activists claim), there is an unprecedented build-up of natural fuels in this area. The situation is exacerbated due to draught and beetle kill. Much of these lands are susceptible to “fatal” wildfires that are unnatural and cause devastating damage to watersheds and habitat. Colorado’s land managers need some flexibility to properly manage these landscapes. Colorado faces a potential firestorm without the ability to lower fuel loads by thinning and Wilderness designation removes most of the tools available to get this important job done.

5. This proposal would place undue hardship on those who cannot walk or ride horseback to these areas
This would include the handicapped and elderly.

6. Wilderness designation would place hardship on livestock growers & landowners
With the inability to easily access their properties and/or maintain fences and water resources that may be in Wilderness, or properties which back up to proposed boundaries; these users would have to obtain permits to work on such things. These processes are long and filled with red tape.

7. Once these areas are closed off, this will cause more impact on existing trails
Smaller recreation areas left open would be subjected to overuse, creation of new and bandit trails and user conflicts. As the population grows so will recreational use. We simply cannot afford to lose public lands to Wilderness designation. Note: The 2004-2007 National Forest Visitation Survey shows Wilderness visitations steadily declining.

8. There have not been any environmental or economic impact studies
These environmental groups cannot substantiate any claims they are making as to why these areas must be turned into Wilderness. Meetings to inform the public have been limited and presented to those who would only serve their best interests.

9. The Forest Service motto: Land of Many Uses…the White River National Forest motto: Forests are for People…