Press Release - Public Lands Bill Applauded
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OFFICE OF GOVERNOR BILL RITTER, JR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2009
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER APPLAUDS SIGNING OF PUBLIC LANDS BILL
Gov. Ritter today praised the signing of a national conservation and projects bill by President Obama that will help protect some of this state's most important natural assets for future generations.
"The rugged Continental Divide and red-rock canyons help define what makes Colorado special to those who live here and visit," said Gov. Ritter. "Now these landscapes and the economies that depend on them will be protected for our children's generations to enjoy. I particularly want to applaud the determined efforts of the many diverse groups that worked to protect this land. Future generations will be forever in your debt."
The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act secures wilderness protection for 250,000 acres of Rocky Mountain National Park's pristine backcountry, a development long sought by the community of Estes Park. The law creates the 210,000-acre Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area, including the 66,000-acre Dominguez Canyon Wilderness in western Colorado.
The Rocky Mountain National Park wilderness designation received the bipartisan support of former Sen. Ken Salazar and Sen. Wayne Allard. The Dominiguez-Escalante NCA came together after an extensive process that won broad local and regional support from ranchers, elected officials and conservationists.
The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act is a collection of 170 separate lands, parks and conservation bills --including some that lawmakers had been working on for decades. In Colorado, the law also creates the Cache La Poudre, Sangre de Cristo and South Park National Heritage Areas, supports the Northern Front Range Backdrop Study, and provides critical funding and support for water and endangered fish programs.