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<br />002698 <br /> <br />13 <br /> <br />ing potential wilderness areas in Colorado, but has failed to man- <br />age the area to adequately maintain its wilderness character-in <br />particular, by allowing excessive use of mechanized equipment for <br />recreation. Nonetheless, the area remains a very special place, <br />marked by alpine lakes, notable wildlife values (including moun- <br />tain goats and elk) and the fossil-bearing limestone strata that give <br />the area its name. The remainder of the wilderness study area is <br />included within the "Fossil Ridge Recreation Management Area" <br />designated by section 5. <br /> <br />Greenhorn Mountain <br /> <br />This rugged, broken, and ecologically diverse part of the southern <br />Front Range is part of a slightly larger area designated as a Wil- <br />derness Study Area by P.L. 96-560 in 1980. At the suggestion of <br />the Forest Service, the boundaries of this area have been drawn to <br />designate as wilderness lands within a "Greenhorn Mountain <br />Cherrystem" that were excluded from wilderness in past proposals. <br />The "Greenhorn Mountain Cherrystem" was closed in 1987 and <br />subsequently ripped and reseeded, leaving only a four-foot-wide <br />hiking trail. <br /> <br />Lost Creek <br /> <br />This addition to the existing Lost Creek Wilderness Area is di- <br />rectly south of Denver, Colorado, near Kenosha Pass. The bound- <br />aries are the same as in the House-based bill of 1992, and include <br />South Twin Cone Peak at the northern end of the Platte River <br />Mountains as well as the upper reaches of Rock and Shutetown <br />Creeks and Foster Gulch. <br /> <br />o Be Joyful <br /> <br />This area was considered for wilderness in 1980, but not des- <br />ignated, because of the need for further consideration of possible <br />conflicts. While some possible conflicts may still remain, inclusion <br />of the area in wilderness (as an addition to the existing Raggeds <br />Wilderness) will provide protection for important resource values <br />and the area's status as a part of the municipal watershed for the <br />community of Crested Butte. The boundaries include the Oh-Be- <br />Joyful Peak (part of the Ruby Range), Pass, and Creek from which <br />the area takes its name as well as the Peeler Lakes. <br /> <br />Powderhorn <br /> <br />Even this area's most famous visitor, Alferd Packer, must have <br />been awed by the expanse of alpine tundra, the largest in the <br />"lower-48" States, found within this area, much of which has been <br />managed by the BLM as the Powderhorn Primitive Area. (Part of <br />the area bears the name "Cannibal Plateau", a reminder of Pack- <br />er's notoriety). The boundaries straddle the line between Gunnison <br />and Hinsdale C01J.nti'-ls; the portion of the wildern'-lss which has <br />been managed as the Powerhorn Primitive Area will continue to be <br />managed by the Bureau of Land Management, while the remainder <br />will continue under management of the Forest Service. <br />