CORE ACT Moves Forward! On Feb 26th, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act (H.R. 803) which is a package of multiple public land bills across four Western states. TU strongly supports this legislation, as it will better conserve and restore public lands, watersheds and cold water fisheries as well as supporting the country’s commitment to countering the impacts of climate change by protecting at least 30% of our lands and waters by the year 2030.
Specifically for Colorado, H.R. 803 includes the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act. Initially introduced in 2019 by Sen. Bennet and Rep. Neguse, the widely popular bill passed in the U.S. House twice with bipartisan support in the 116th Congress, and the bill remains largely unchanged, covering portions of the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado, the Curecanti National Recreation Area near Gunnison, the Thompson Divide southwest of Glenwood Springs and the Continental Divide surrounding the WWII alpine training grounds at Camp Hale. The proposed legislation would protect critical cold water streams, enhance high-value habitat for several species of wildlife and increase public access for anglers in some of Colorado’s premier fisheries.
A recent TU analysis of fish and wildlife habitat protected in the bill’s framework found that the CORE Act safeguards some 2,416 miles of streams, 100 miles of native cutthroat trout stream habitat, 12 cutthroat trout lakes spanning 804 acres, nearly 7 miles of Gold Medal fishing water and an additional 88 miles of Gold Medal waters downstream of protected headwater landscapes. The bill would also open about 12 miles of critical elk and mule deer range and nearly 100,000 acres of important migration corridors at a time when both the State and Federal government have prioritized protecting animal migration routes.
The CORE Act moves next to the Senate where it is supported by both of our senators, Bennet and Hickenlooper.