by Leah López, Community Organizer

The San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act (SJMWA) hit a roadblock this fall after US Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)raised concerns with the bill just days before it headed to the US Senate’s Energy & Natural Resources Committee. Gardner’s 11th-hour block was a surprising turn of events since the SJMWA has been praised as a straight-forward, well-vetted bill with widespread grassroots support.

While Gardner’s concerns remain unknown, our Alliance and its coalition of conservation groups will re-double efforts to put pressure on the Senator, emphasizing his responsibility to protect our beloved wild places in a state that highly values its public lands.

The good news is that this wilderness bill has more momentum and community support than ever before. In fact, the Denver Post published an editorial on November 14 urging Gardner to support including the bill in a package of land bills that are likely to be passed before the end of the year.

“We certainly don’t want to make light of [Gardner’s] concerns, but this is a rare opportunity to pass a very good bill, that has made significant strides toward becoming perfect,” the Post editorial said.

If Gardner does not reconcile with the SJMWA this year, our coalition will encourage US Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) to reintroduce the bill again early in January.

One of our 2019 goals will be to educate and engage more people beyond the Western Slope in our campaign.

Preserving wilderness and creating special management areas in the San Juan Mountains is vital to the communities that live beneath its iconic peaks and earn their livelihoods from its abundant resources. It’s also important to a state that prides itself on being a leader in outdoor recreation, and whose residents receive much of the economic and health benefits that come from the enjoyment of our pristine public lands.

Make sure you’re on our contact list to stay up-to-date on all our events coming in 2019, and join us in getting the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act passed once and for all! For more information, visit sanjuanwilderness.org, or contact leah@westerncoloradoalliance.org.