When Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., introduced the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act of 2011 in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, it was anything but a seat-of-the-pants initiative. The bill embodies years of work gathering support, refining boundaries, negotiating concerns and building consensus to produce a measure that reflects the wishes of a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the counties that contain the lands targeted for protection.
The act is co-sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and is the continuation of efforts begun by former Rep. John Salazar, who introduced the original House version of the bill in 2009. While there have been minor adjustments since then, Udalls measure largely reflects the components of that initial legislation, which was drafted with significant input from a wide array of interests and carried the endorsement of San Juan, San Miguel and Ouray counties.
The broad support the measure enjoys is testament to the regions interest in permanently protecting a smattering of iconic wildlands across the San Juan Mountains. These areas include additions to existing wilderness, including Lizard Head and Mt. Sneffles expansions and the creation of the 8,600-acre McKenna Peak Wilderness in southern San Miguel County, just north of the Dolores River. The bill also has a range of non-wilderness prescriptions that will protect deserving landscapes while allowing traditional uses to continue. The landscapes that comprise the San Juan Mountains bill are important pieces to the regions natural heritage and economic future. Outdoor recreation is a significant sector in the three counties economies. Ensuring that those assets remain intact to support the clean water, clear air, wildlife habitat, scenic splendor and recreation opportunities that the areas in the bill offer is in the interest of all in the region.
Rep. Scott Tipton is tasked with the dual responsibilities of learning what his districts priorities are by seeking and listening to feedback, and advocating for his legislative agenda. The former should inform the latter, and not conducting his own reconnaissance would make Tipton remiss as a representative. However, in the case of the San Juan bill, there is no need to begin anew. Confirming the broad-based support for the measure is his duty, as is listening to any concerns that arise. That should not translate into seeking opposition or giving disproportionate weight to those who do not support the bill for ideological reasons.
There is ample opportunity for refinement as the measure travels the channels of Congress, and Tipton has an opportunity to help usher to finality the work of a diverse cross-section of his district work that was initiated to protect a shared resource that all who live in the region recognize as having irreplaceable value.
