Colorado: Make Your Voice Heard in an April 6th Frederick Town Hall Meeting About Potential Wilderness Designation!

Congressman Jared Polis is hosting a town hall meeting in Frederick, CO and needs to hear from you about the implications of potential Wilderness legislation that would lock up 400,000 acres of public land in Pitkin, Eagle, Gunnison and Summit counties.  In light of the fact that all mechanized means of transportation, including bicycles and game carts, are prohibited in Wilderness, this would dramatically curtail hunter access to these vast areas.  In addition, Wilderness designation ends virtually all active wildlife and habitat management methods employed by state and federal biologists. 

This could not come at a worse time for Colorado with the forest devastation being caused by the pine beetle and the great need for fire mitigation.  Wildlife officials must retain all means necessary to combat invasive species and actively manage for wildlife and forest health.  The National Forests and BLM lands in the crosshairs for designation boast an abundance of wildlife and have been cared for and used by generations of hunters and have offered a host of recreational activities to families across the country. 

There are already 110 million acres of Wilderness in the United States. These are areas often accessible only to the most able-bodied or those who have the time and resources to dedicate to lengthy pack trips.  Diminishing practical access to hunting lands is one of the primary reasons cited for decreasing hunter recruitment and retention rates.  The NRA will continue to defend existing access to public hunting lands throughout America. 

Please do your part by attending Congressman Polis’ town hall meeting!