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<br />ll01337
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<br />I would likt: to begin by providing a brief history of the BLM Colorado wilderness issue
<br />~hich takes us back eighteen years. In 1980, we completed:m inventory of all public lands as
<br />directed by FLPM<\. This inventory resulted in the classification of apprvx:imately 800,000 acres,
<br />or about ten percent of 8.3 million acres of the BLM managed public lands in Colorado. as
<br />wildemcss study areas. Following a lktailed study by ELM, through RMP's :mdEnvironmental
<br />Impact Statements, President Bush fOIWardcd to Congress in 1993, recommendations to designate
<br />396,000 acres as wilderness, and to release the remaining 372,000 acres to other multiple uses.
<br />Since 1980, the entire 800,000 acres has been managed to protect its wilderness values in
<br />accordance with FLPMA, while awaiting final determination by Congress.
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<br />In August 1994, a coalition of environmental organizations, known as the Colorado
<br />Environmental Coalition (CEC). published the "Conservationists' Wilderness Proposal for BLM
<br />Lands in C%raM." This report reco=end~d wilderness protection for the 800,000 acres of
<br />BL\:l studied lands plus an additional 300,000 acres of BLM and 250,000 acres of Forest Service
<br />lands. The CEC proposal raised serious and substantive resource issues and included detailed
<br />information. maps and descriptions of each area.
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<br />In 1995, BLM Colorado began an initial determination as to the appropriau: response tn the
<br />CEC proposal. One step taken by the BLM was to postpone offering several oil and gas leases
<br />within these CEC proposed wilderness study areas while developing a policy for considering how
<br />to appropriately address thc proposaL It is important to point Ollt h.ere that uI\der the Mineral
<br />Leasing Act, oil and gas lea.~ing on public lands is a wholly discretionary activity. Since the initial
<br />wilderness inventory was completed in 1980, conditions on many of the public lands have
<br />changed. Roads, trails and other disturbances have revegerated and become unnoticeable. Taking
<br />a second look before we use OUI discretionary authority to make an irrevocable commitment of
<br />these resources to development is prodent and necessllI)' when there are competing proposals for
<br />the use of the land. We knew this process would be complex and controversial However. our
<br />job was not to avoid the challenges of managing th= lands, but rather to bring about a concerted
<br />effort to provide for appropriate uscs with full involvement and consultation with all affected
<br />interests.
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<br />In May 1997, BL\i1 Colorado completed the policy and began its implementation. It
<br />initiated review of six specilic art:aS il.lt:ntiiit:d by CEC IO derermine if they contained roadless tracts
<br />of at least 5,000 acres, or roadlesstractS contiguous to existing wilderness study areas, that may
<br />require further evaluation. These six areas, totaling 188,000 acres, were initially selected because
<br />of the following potential resource use conflicts. In the Bangs County and Yampa River areas,
<br />conflicts are between wilderness proposals and motorized vehicle and mount3in bike uses. In
<br />Vermillion, Pinyon Ridge, and South Shale Ridge areas, the potential conflicts relate to oil and gas
<br />activities. In Castle Peak, there are potential conflicts between wilderness values and
<br />implementation of a new transportation plan that calls for road maintenance on three routes within
<br />the review area.
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<br />The BLM. along with local cirizens, government representatives, and the Northwest
<br />Resource Advisory Council, conducted extensive on-the-zround reso<m:e inventories and office
<br />records research. Of the 188,000 acres reviewed. roadless arcas found in all SL'( areas totaled
<br />167,000 acres.
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<br />In February 1998, BLM initiated a 60-day comment period asking thc publie whether the
<br />values and uses in these six areas wcre adequately protected and managed under current
<br />management plans. Open houses. mailings. and briefings were conducted for the public, local
<br />governments, business and industry interests, and environmental grOllpS. Comments totaled
<br />1,909; 1,209 responses favored Rc\:lP amendments to consider additional prot::ction of the areas
<br />and 7UU responses opposcd any additional land use planning or additional pruuxdan.
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