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EDWARDS, Colo. — Friends and foes of the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal both successfully rallied their forces last night when more than 600 people attended a hearing held by U.S. Rep. Jared Polis at Battle Mountain High School in Edwards.
Hidden Gems foes showed up in greater numbers, but there was no clear “winner” in the debate. Polis and his staff were collecting opinions from constituents to help shape a Wilderness bill the Boulder Democrat is likely to introduce in Congress. His 2nd Congressional District encompasses Summit and Eagles counties, including the middle Roaring Fork Valley.
Opponents of the proposal to add 244,000 of Wilderness in Eagle and Summit counties wore white T-shirts that said, “Public Lands, Public Use” on the front and Hidden Gems with a red circle and slash, the universal “no” symbol, on the back. They congregated in the sprawling auditorium and created an impressive sea of white.
Supporters wore green-and-black stickers that said, “Gems, Yes!”
The audience was dominated by white, middle-aged men and women. The debate was mostly civil, with no interruptions and only a few groans of disbelief about comments made by speakers.
Gems foe Sandy Anderson of the Eagle Valley stirred her side with a tough statement against Wilderness protections, which ban all mechanized and motorized uses.
“It's like cutting your leg off because you have an ingrown toenail. The backcountry is just fine. It doesn't need your protection,” she told Gems supporters.
Another Gems foe directly questioned Polis' objectivity, asking him if he contributed to the Wilderness campaign. Polis said he has been a Wilderness supporter, but he hasn't contributed to a campaign for Wilderness since winning election to Congress.
Polis said during his introductory remarks that he recognized the value of all forms of recreation and uses of national forests. “Nothing is final. That's why we're here tonight,” he said.
Most speakers at the forum were from the Eagle Valley portion of Eagle County. Roaring Fork Valley residents, while lesser in numbers, were in the thick of the debate. The drive was about 90 minutes from Basalt.
Bob Hembel of Missouri Heights said users of all types coexist peacefully on Basalt Mountain. He opposed the Hidden Gems plan to designate 12,570 acres there as Wilderness, although the plan doesn't propose closing the most popular roads and trails.
“We're not asking for more territory. We just want to keep what we have,” Hembel said. “You don't need any more Wilderness.”
John Fitzpatrick of Basalt said a lot of people who take motorized vehicles into the forest are working folks who only have a day or two a week to enjoy recreation in the backcountry. They see the addition of Wilderness as a threat to their hard-earned leisure time.
“We're just trying to hold on to what we have,” Fitzpatrick said.
Several speakers contended that forest visitors who use dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and four-wheelers are conscientious folks who care for the woods.
Basalt resident Gerry Terwilliger challenged that notion. Motorized use is “sometimes an abuse,” he said.
Terwilliger and upper Fryingpan Valley resident Lea Vasten were on different sides of the debate over whether the White River National Forest already has enough Wilderness. About 750,000 acres of the 2.3-million-acre White River is currently Wilderness, or 33 percent. Hidden Gems, as proposed, would boost the total to about 46 percent. When official inventoried roadless lands are figured in, between 63 and 65 percent of the White River is off-limits to motorized and mechanized uses.
In its 2002 forest plan — a guiding document for management of the White River — the U.S. Forest Service recommended adding 82,000 acres of Wilderness. Vasten said the agency “knew what it was doing” and the public should listen.
“The Forest Service has done a real fine job of managing our lands, if you let them,” she said.
Terwilliger challenged the notion that there are enough Wilderness areas. As a 67-year-old, he said he can walk across any Wilderness area accessible from the Roaring Fork Valley in one day.
“A lot of work has been done on [the Hidden Gems proposal],” Terwilliger said. “I think it's ready to go.”
Anna Naeser of Basalt dismissed the idea that national forest must be managed with “balance” in mind, as some Wilderness foes suggested. Humans have an obligation to manage public lands with regard to wildlife, plants, insects and even lichen. “There's no balance for them,” she said.
Instead, most humans just want what benefits them and their particular activity, and damn the consequences, Naeser said.
“I'm 100 percent for every square inch of Wilderness on Basalt Mountain I can get,” she said.
Several Gems supporters said this latest Wilderness proposal adds important wildlife habitat at mid-elevation. Most existing Wilderness is at higher elevations, often with stunning natural beauty.
Polis is holding another public forum in Breckenridge. A prior one was held in Boulder. Polis is also accepting written comments at feedback.polis@maill.house.gov. He stressed that his staff is just evaluating the portion of the Hidden Gems in Eagle and Summit counties, and he wants comments limited to those areas. His staff will read and respond to all comments, according to Polis spokeswoman Lara Cottingham.
There is no timetable on the congressman's possible introduction of a Wilderness bill. The division among the 600-member crowd Thursday night shows he has his work cut out for him.
“It's great to see that people on all sides are active and energized,” he said.
scondon@aspentimes.com
Hidden Gems foes showed up in greater numbers, but there was no clear “winner” in the debate. Polis and his staff were collecting opinions from constituents to help shape a Wilderness bill the Boulder Democrat is likely to introduce in Congress. His 2nd Congressional District encompasses Summit and Eagles counties, including the middle Roaring Fork Valley.
Opponents of the proposal to add 244,000 of Wilderness in Eagle and Summit counties wore white T-shirts that said, “Public Lands, Public Use” on the front and Hidden Gems with a red circle and slash, the universal “no” symbol, on the back. They congregated in the sprawling auditorium and created an impressive sea of white.
Supporters wore green-and-black stickers that said, “Gems, Yes!”
The audience was dominated by white, middle-aged men and women. The debate was mostly civil, with no interruptions and only a few groans of disbelief about comments made by speakers.
Gems foe Sandy Anderson of the Eagle Valley stirred her side with a tough statement against Wilderness protections, which ban all mechanized and motorized uses.
“It's like cutting your leg off because you have an ingrown toenail. The backcountry is just fine. It doesn't need your protection,” she told Gems supporters.
Another Gems foe directly questioned Polis' objectivity, asking him if he contributed to the Wilderness campaign. Polis said he has been a Wilderness supporter, but he hasn't contributed to a campaign for Wilderness since winning election to Congress.
Polis said during his introductory remarks that he recognized the value of all forms of recreation and uses of national forests. “Nothing is final. That's why we're here tonight,” he said.
Most speakers at the forum were from the Eagle Valley portion of Eagle County. Roaring Fork Valley residents, while lesser in numbers, were in the thick of the debate. The drive was about 90 minutes from Basalt.
Bob Hembel of Missouri Heights said users of all types coexist peacefully on Basalt Mountain. He opposed the Hidden Gems plan to designate 12,570 acres there as Wilderness, although the plan doesn't propose closing the most popular roads and trails.
“We're not asking for more territory. We just want to keep what we have,” Hembel said. “You don't need any more Wilderness.”
John Fitzpatrick of Basalt said a lot of people who take motorized vehicles into the forest are working folks who only have a day or two a week to enjoy recreation in the backcountry. They see the addition of Wilderness as a threat to their hard-earned leisure time.
“We're just trying to hold on to what we have,” Fitzpatrick said.
Several speakers contended that forest visitors who use dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and four-wheelers are conscientious folks who care for the woods.
Basalt resident Gerry Terwilliger challenged that notion. Motorized use is “sometimes an abuse,” he said.
Terwilliger and upper Fryingpan Valley resident Lea Vasten were on different sides of the debate over whether the White River National Forest already has enough Wilderness. About 750,000 acres of the 2.3-million-acre White River is currently Wilderness, or 33 percent. Hidden Gems, as proposed, would boost the total to about 46 percent. When official inventoried roadless lands are figured in, between 63 and 65 percent of the White River is off-limits to motorized and mechanized uses.
In its 2002 forest plan — a guiding document for management of the White River — the U.S. Forest Service recommended adding 82,000 acres of Wilderness. Vasten said the agency “knew what it was doing” and the public should listen.
“The Forest Service has done a real fine job of managing our lands, if you let them,” she said.
Terwilliger challenged the notion that there are enough Wilderness areas. As a 67-year-old, he said he can walk across any Wilderness area accessible from the Roaring Fork Valley in one day.
“A lot of work has been done on [the Hidden Gems proposal],” Terwilliger said. “I think it's ready to go.”
Anna Naeser of Basalt dismissed the idea that national forest must be managed with “balance” in mind, as some Wilderness foes suggested. Humans have an obligation to manage public lands with regard to wildlife, plants, insects and even lichen. “There's no balance for them,” she said.
Instead, most humans just want what benefits them and their particular activity, and damn the consequences, Naeser said.
“I'm 100 percent for every square inch of Wilderness on Basalt Mountain I can get,” she said.
Several Gems supporters said this latest Wilderness proposal adds important wildlife habitat at mid-elevation. Most existing Wilderness is at higher elevations, often with stunning natural beauty.
Polis is holding another public forum in Breckenridge. A prior one was held in Boulder. Polis is also accepting written comments at feedback.polis@maill.house.gov. He stressed that his staff is just evaluating the portion of the Hidden Gems in Eagle and Summit counties, and he wants comments limited to those areas. His staff will read and respond to all comments, according to Polis spokeswoman Lara Cottingham.
There is no timetable on the congressman's possible introduction of a Wilderness bill. The division among the 600-member crowd Thursday night shows he has his work cut out for him.
“It's great to see that people on all sides are active and energized,” he said.
scondon@aspentimes.com
