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Release Date: August 12, 2009
Conservationists hail Dominguez as breakthrough legislation, protecting wild lands and water Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was on hand to dedicate the newly created Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area. Sec. Salazar championed the wilderness area in the U.S. Senate as part of an omnibus public lands bill that was signed into law last March by President Barack Obama and included Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness. Local conservationist Kate Graham of Colorado Environmental Coalition was on hand for the dedication. "The redrock walls of Dominguez Canyon and the pristine waters of the Gunnison River define the West," said Graham. "By protecting Dominguez Canyon, Sec. Salazar is preserving our natural heritage and the outdoor recreation economy outside Grand Junction." The Dominguez Canyon Wilderness covers 66,000 acres and contains canyon walls that overlook the Gunnison River as well as the heart of Big Dominguez and Little Dominguez Creeks. The area is prime wildlife habitat for recently reintroduced desert bighorn sheep as well as mule deer, elk, and black bear. The wilderness area is also part of the larger new Dominguez Canyon National Conservation Area package, which preserves the wild values of the canyon while creating other opportunities for outdoor recreation in the area. Landmark provisions protecting natural streamflows in the new wilderness were also included in the legislation. Currently, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Bureau of Land Management are determining how best to protect in-stream flow levels, securing aquatic wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities. Glenwood Springs resident and Assistant Regional Director Steve Smith of The Wilderness Society helped negotiate the water language and spoke at the dedication ceremony. "Sec. Salazar is truly a bold leader for America's wilderness," said Smith. "Thanks to Salazar's leadership, we have protected the beautiful canyon country of Dominguez and waters of the Gunnison." "Dominguez Canyon Wilderness shows the promise for the West and the power of community when we come together to protect our wild lands," continued Smith. The Dominguez Canyon Wilderness legislation marked a breakthrough in Colorado politics and the first time wilderness legislation has been passed since 2002. The Colorado Wilderness Network, a coalition of state environmental organizations, has identified more than 2 million acres of lands across the state deserving wilderness protection. Just last month, Rep. John Salazar proposed draft San Juan Mountains Wilderness legislation to protect lands just north and west of Telluride. "Dominguez Canyon Wilderness represents the shape of things to come for Colorado's great outdoors," said Andrea Robinsong, local member of Western Colorado Congress and chair of their Public Lands Committee. "We've made historic progress with Dominguez Canyon. Now is the time for our leaders in Congress to put forth a bold new vision for Colorado's wilderness." The Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Mountain Club, and Western Colorado Congress were among the groups that organized locally to pass the legislation. In addition,, groups such as Environment Colorado and the Sierra Club joined The Wilderness Society to lobby for the bill in Washington, DC. For a map of the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness and Dominguez Canyon National Conservation Area, click here: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/co/programs/special_areas.Par.90114.File.dat/OfficialLegMap--DominEscSept15Final.pdf For a fact sheet on Dominguez Canyon, click here: For a copy of the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness legislation, click here: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:s3065rs.txt.pdf |
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