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<br />0J2352 <br /> <br />The areas proposed for protection will help meet existing and <br />some future wilderness needs of the state. That these lands have <br />remained roadless and undeveloped after 112 years of Colorado <br />statehood attests to their value as wilderness. The units <br />included here are particularly suited for addition to the NWPS for <br />many reasons, among them: <br /> <br />* The need to protect lands that help insulate both <br />wildlife and natural ecosystems from the pressures of <br />population growth and the accompanying development is <br />great. Some areas must be preserved in their natural <br />state for wildlife populations and research, as well as <br />for the Leisure time opportunities and aesthetic values <br />they offelr. <br /> <br />* Very little economically developable or producible <br />timber exists in these areas. Colorado is not a timber- <br />producing state. In fact, Colorado's seven national <br />forests provide only one-third of one percent of the <br />nation's wood; furthermore, recent studies have shown <br />these fo~sts can produce such volume only on a sale <br />below-cost (taxpayer-subsidized) basis.1 <br /> <br />*Mineral potential is limited in the proposed wilderness <br />areas. !early all of the most likely spots for mineral <br />reserves Mere eliminated from wilderness study through <br />the RARE II reviews and the 1980 Colorado Wilderness <br />Act. <br /> <br />Over 200 years ago, the grizzly bear roamed freely throughout <br />Colorado. N~, it is doubtful that any remain, though there may <br />be a small, isolated population centered in the southern part of <br />the state. In 1979, the last known grizzly in the state of <br />Colorado was killed. The late wilderness supporter, photographer <br />and author, David Sumner, eloquently summed up the challenge <br />facing us in protecting Colorado's heritage of wilderness and <br />wildlife at the same time that we provide for the economic well- <br />being of her citizens: <br /> <br />Colarado faces a transformation as basic as when <br />white mem first settled its soil. As it becomes <br />increasiD;ly developed, it loses not only wild valleys <br />and rich basins, but also homey cowtowns and a steady <br />rhythmic pace tied to the land, The loss is openness, <br />not only of space but of personality. <br /> <br />lAnalysis of the Timber Situation in the U.s., 1952-2030, <br />USDA Forest Service, 1980; Forests of the Future, The Wilderness <br />society, May 1987; Timber Sale Proqram Annual Report, Fiscal Year <br />1987 Test, National Summary, November 1988. <br /> <br />2 <br />