News
President Obama signed legislation this week setting aside more than 2 million acres as protected wilderness.
About 65,000 of those acres are just south of town in what will from now on be known as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area.
Under the Wilderness Act of 1964, wilderness areas were identified for their primitive characteristics and set aside for protection and conservation — no man-made improvements or structures and mechanized or motorized equipment allowed — just wilderness.
The photo above, snapped by a member of this board during a recent hike of the area, provides a glimpse of the landscape that has been preserved for generations to come. In theory, children carried on the backs of mom and dad today through this natural wonderland should be able to soak up the same undisturbed views and the same natural features with their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Those great-grandkids will hopefully be able to do the same.
The 65,000 acres set aside as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area will rest within the 210,000-acre Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area.
The Bureau of Land Management National Landscape Conservation System was created in 2000 to conserve, protect and restore landscapes recognized for their cultural, ecological and scientific value.
National Conservation Areas, unlike Wilderness Areas, allow for more multiple use than areas set aside as wilderness.
“Mountain bikers support the Dominguez Canyon bill because its Wilderness and bicycle-friendly National Conservation Area designations preserve traditional bicycle access while offering a high level of congressional protection for these important areas,” said Ryan Schutz, International Mountain Bicycling Association’s Rocky Mountain regional director.
The Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area is similar in concept to the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, which consists of 122,300 acres of land — within it 75,550 acres designated as wilderness.
After the bill was signed this week, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar touted the bill as a “milestone for the stewardship of America’s natural wonders.”
We concur.
It’s also another feather in the cap for a community that already benefits from numerous natural wonders preserved in its backyard — Colorado National Monument and McInnis Canyons, to name just two.
Add another one to the list.
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The Grand Junction Free Press editorial board consists of Publisher Valerie J. Smith, Managing Editor Josh Nichols, Community News Editor Tracy Dvorak and News Editor Steve Lysaker.
About 65,000 of those acres are just south of town in what will from now on be known as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area.
Under the Wilderness Act of 1964, wilderness areas were identified for their primitive characteristics and set aside for protection and conservation — no man-made improvements or structures and mechanized or motorized equipment allowed — just wilderness.
The photo above, snapped by a member of this board during a recent hike of the area, provides a glimpse of the landscape that has been preserved for generations to come. In theory, children carried on the backs of mom and dad today through this natural wonderland should be able to soak up the same undisturbed views and the same natural features with their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Those great-grandkids will hopefully be able to do the same.
The 65,000 acres set aside as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area will rest within the 210,000-acre Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area.
The Bureau of Land Management National Landscape Conservation System was created in 2000 to conserve, protect and restore landscapes recognized for their cultural, ecological and scientific value.
National Conservation Areas, unlike Wilderness Areas, allow for more multiple use than areas set aside as wilderness.
“Mountain bikers support the Dominguez Canyon bill because its Wilderness and bicycle-friendly National Conservation Area designations preserve traditional bicycle access while offering a high level of congressional protection for these important areas,” said Ryan Schutz, International Mountain Bicycling Association’s Rocky Mountain regional director.
The Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area is similar in concept to the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, which consists of 122,300 acres of land — within it 75,550 acres designated as wilderness.
After the bill was signed this week, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar touted the bill as a “milestone for the stewardship of America’s natural wonders.”
We concur.
It’s also another feather in the cap for a community that already benefits from numerous natural wonders preserved in its backyard — Colorado National Monument and McInnis Canyons, to name just two.
Add another one to the list.
-------------------------------------------------
The Grand Junction Free Press editorial board consists of Publisher Valerie J. Smith, Managing Editor Josh Nichols, Community News Editor Tracy Dvorak and News Editor Steve Lysaker.
