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<br />to no agreement on these disputed water
<br />rights and no potential wilderness areas
<br />have peen protected. In the latest effort,
<br />Senators Wirth and Armstrong invited pro-
<br />ponents of both sides of the water rights
<br />issue into closed-door negotiations in
<br />order to come up with some sort of solution
<br />in Fall 1987.' A year later the negotia-
<br />tions had failed to reach any sort of a-
<br />greement.
<br />The water rights conflict revolves
<br />around the question of how much water
<br />should remain in the stream beds of wild-
<br />erness areas. Water developers feel that
<br />this water is necessary to ensure future
<br />economic growth in the state, especially
<br />along the Front Range. Environmentalists,
<br />on the other hand, argue that a wilderness
<br />area will die without the water that is
<br />part of its natural ecosystem. A federal
<br />reserve water right would keep water in
<br />the stream bed of a wilderness area as
<br />an appropriate use for that water.
<br />Colorado's present wilderness system
<br />.consists of high alpine "rock and ice"
<br />areas. ,These areas are at the headwaters
<br />of watersheds. There is no way to divert
<br />their water until it is farther down-
<br />stream, hence, they have 'no conflict with
<br />
<br />EJBi-monthlY publication of the
<br />'Colorado Environmental Coali-
<br />tion, 777 Grant Street, Suite
<br />606, Oenver, Colorado 80203-
<br />3518. Mailed to all menDers (menDership,
<br />$25/year).
<br />
<br />Editor: Elizabeth Otto.
<br />
<br />Typist: Carmella Dicker
<br />
<br />~
<br />Articles by: Dan Chiras, Kirk'Koepsel,
<br />Marshall Massey, Elizabeth Otto, Todd
<br />Robertson, Michael Smith, Rocky Smith, _,'
<br />
<br />,Typesetting: CJ Typesetting:
<br />
<br />" ',"l
<br />
<br />We welcome all articles,,: announcements",
<br />letters, art work and photos. All mate-
<br />rial should be submitted to the CEC
<br />office_ no later than the deadline.
<br />
<br />Reprint permission freely granted. We,'
<br />request that you credit the source and
<br />that we be informed of such 'use.
<br />
<br />2,
<br />
<br />t
<br />
<br />Throughout this issue of the Report,
<br />we have included photos of many of
<br />the Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) we
<br />would like to see included in this
<br />year's Colorado Wilderness Bill.
<br />Perhaps your favorite area is among
<br />them? We will need all the help we
<br />can get to get this bill moving and
<br />passed in Congress this year. Call
<br />the office, 837-8701, if you can
<br />help out. Thanks.
<br />
<br />a federal reserve water right. Many po-
<br />tential wilderness areas, especially
<br />those on Bureau of Land Management Lands,
<br />lie downstream of a watershed's headwa-
<br />ters. In these cases, it is possible to
<br />divert water out of the stream bed before
<br />it reaches the, boundary of an area. It'
<br />is these downstream areas that need a
<br />federal reserve water right to maintain
<br />their ecological integrity.
<br />CEC's Forest Service Wilderness pro-
<br />posal would have not potential conflicts
<br />with the current water rights dispute,
<br />except in one case. Out of 24 proposed
<br />" wi 1 derness areas,' 23 of them are headwater
<br />areas. Environmentalists believe that
<br />this wilderness proposal should not be
<br />held hostage by.,the state's water devel-
<br />, opement community any longer. With no
<br />foreseeable resolution on federal reserve
<br />water rights for wilderness, it is time
<br />to protect those areas that 'are not part
<br />of the controversy. Until -they are pro':
<br />tected, ,there is the risk that timber
<br />cuts and/or oi 1. and gas 1 eas i ng will
<br />make parts of these areas unsuitable for
<br />wilderness protection.
<br />CEC encourages everyone to spend a
<br />few minutes to write their Senators and
<br />Representatives, asking them to support
<br />the CEC loJilderness proposal. The time is:
<br />now to act on wilderness protection. _'
<br />Write to: '
<br />
<br />, ; ~ '\'
<br />
<br />Senator Wirth/Armstrong:
<br />Senate Office Building
<br />Washington, D.C. 20510
<br />
<br />.:'j."-
<br />
<br />. \ , ~
<br />
<br />Representative
<br />House Office Building
<br />Washington, D.C. 20515
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