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<br />OGDJD7 <br /> <br />I. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL <br /> <br />The study of primitive lands in the National Park System for inclusion <br />in the National Wilderness Preservation System was directed by Public <br />Law 88-577 on September 3, 1964. It has been determined that approxi- <br />mately 239,835 acres in five units in Rocky Mountain National Park are <br />of sufficient quality and primitive character to be considered for this <br />status. This is 91.5% of the total 262,191.16 acres in the park. <br />Exclusions consist of private inholdings (905 acres), 108 miles of <br />roads, alien water rights, park water developments, and electrical <br />power and telephone lines. <br /> <br />Unit 1 - Mummy Range <br /> <br />An area of 83,920 acres encompassing the Mummy Range and Specimen Moun- <br />tain is proposed for wilderness designation. It contains large areas <br />of the alpine, subalpine forest, wet meadow and montane forest ecosys- <br />tems. This area maintains the major portion of the bighorn sheep <br />population in the park. <br /> <br />Wilderness boundary lines are on the north and east park boundary from <br />La Poudre Pass to the Estes Park area, excluding a tract of private <br />land near the town. It then follows natural and topographic features <br />generally westward along the Fall River Road and Trail Ridge Road, pass- <br />ing the Timber Creek Campground and then going west to the Grand River <br />Ditch. <br /> <br />There are ten primitive campsite areas and sanitary control points and <br />two patrol cabins within the proposed wilderness unit. <br /> <br />The historic site of Lulu City, which now consists only of crumbling <br />building remains, is in the western part of the unit. <br /> <br />Two research natural areas, being of particular scientific interest, <br />have been proposed in Unit 1. The Specimen Mountain Area includes <br />Specimen Mountain and Shipler Mountain above 10,800 feet elevation and <br />the Willow Creek drainage to the park boundary, a total of 9,056 acres. <br />The West Creek area includes the West Creek and Fox Creek drainages and <br />the east slope of the Mummy Range, a total of 9,043 acres. <br /> <br />Unit 2 - Never Summer <br /> <br />Proposed Wilderness Unit 2 includes 9,500 acres of the steep upper <br />slopes and peaks of the eastern side of the Never Summer Mountains. <br />About 2/3 of the area is above timberline, capped by a row of 12 peaks <br />reaching over 12,000 feet in altitude. It contains most of the remain- <br />der of the bighorn sheep range. <br /> <br />4 <br />