The Colorado Wilderness Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Diana DeGette, includes come of Colorado's most precious and important landscapes such as:

• Beaver Creek, Grape Creek, McIntyre Hills and Badger Creek 
• Browns Canyon 
• Bull Gulch and Castle Peak

The Colorado Wilderness Act proposes to protect a small, but reasonable amount of Colorado's total land area. The vast majority of public lands will remain open to non-wilderness uses such as oil and gas drilling, mining, off-road vehicle use and other development activities.

This legislation builds on strong public support for protecting wilderness areas in Colorado.

• Polls have shown that over 70% of Coloradans support additional wilderness.
• More than 347 businesses and organizations, including hunting, commercial rafting, outdoor retail, conservation organizations, and senior citizens groups have endorsed the legislation.
• 14 counties and municipalities have expressed their support for wilderness.

The Colorado Wilderness Act aims to preserve critical mid-elevation wilderness in Colorado, which is not well represented in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Currently, nearly all existing wilderness areas in Colorado are above 9,000 feet, even though mid-elevation wilderness provides critical winter range and other wildlife habitat, as well as increased recreational opportunities and other benefits.