Thank you for your recent editorial on the value of wilderness and the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act (Herald, Aug. 28). You are right, wilderness is part of our national heritage and a proud part of Colorado’s identity. However, even lands that are frequented by people – hikers, mountain bikers, sportsmen or winter recreationalists – deserve preservation and protection under the law. That’s why the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act, a bipartisan bill currently in Congress that would protect 108,000 acres near Durango, including more than 37,000 acres as wilderness, is such a special and important piece of legislation.
How many of you have camped, hiked, biked or hunted in the Hermosa Creek watershed? If you have, then you already know what a gem it is to have in our backyard. In fact, the Hermosa Creek bill is supported by more than 100 local businesses and stakeholders, from snowmobile groups and elected officials to conservationists, because it takes into account a wide array of values we place on our natural landscape here in Southwest Colorado. Not only does the bill add to our wilderness heritage, it also protects the health of our local drinking water, preserves mountain biking and snowmobiling access and safeguards important fish and wildlife habitat. Additionally, it protects Perins Peak, Animas City Mountain, Horse Gulch and Lake Nighthorse – some of our most precious local spaces – from any future mining. Because of its bipartisan congressional support and local backing, the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act is one of the best-positioned bills to add to our wilderness system in the coming months.
This week, we should celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the beauty of our backyard by reminding our elected officials just how happy we are that they are working to preserve our local treasures.
Heidi Marcum
Durango
