FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sep. 26, 2024

Contact: Thomas Plank, 303-720-0111, [email protected]

New Senate Bill Would Conserve Over 700,000 Acres of Colorado Public Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. – North America’s leading public lands advocacy group, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA),  is celebrating the introduction of the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act in the U.S. Senate today. The introduction follows the release of a draft bill two years prior and more than a decade of stakeholder engagement by the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative, including members of BHA’s Colorado Chapter.

The GORP Act (S. 5193), led by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and cosponsored by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), would conserve and enhance more than 700,000 acres of federal public lands in and surrounding Colorado’s Gunnison Basin. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, these landscapes provide important fish and wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing opportunities in Colorado’s backcountry.

“Hunters and anglers know well the value of intact habitat for big game including elk and mule deer as well as the critical role healthy coldwater streams have for native and wild trout populations,” said Kaden McArthur, government relations manager for BHA. “We applaud the GORP Act, which reinforces the importance of these wild places and the habitat they support, as well as a sustainable approach to managing recreation on our public lands.”

Key Facets of the GORP Act

The legislation includes approximately 120,000 acres of designated wilderness areas, providing the highest level of protection – and maintaining the solitude and primitive nature – of the region’s most wild public lands.

Additional designations within the GORP Act include approximately 220,000 acres of wildlife conservation areas and approximately 220,000 acres of special management areas, both of which include an emphasis on the restoration and conservation of wildlife habitat.

Lastly, the bill prioritizes current uses and values of these public lands. While managing motorized recreation and mountain biking in protected areas, the GORP Act does not close existing legal routes and offers new opportunities for potential routes in appropriate areas.

“We thank Sen. Bennet for his leadership on introducing legislation that was the result of a collaborative process with a variety of user groups who value the resources of the Gunnison Basin,” said Tony Prendergast, Colorado Chapter of BHA. “Passing the GORP Act would mean greater safeguards and management certainty for more than 700,000 acres of public lands in Colorado’s backcountry along with the fish and wildlife we pursue there.”

A Collaborative Process

Throughout the stakeholder engagement process, a commitment to public land conservation has resulted in a balanced, well-crafted proposal that not only safeguards the rich natural resources of the Gunnison Basin but also protects the long-standing traditions of hunting, angling, ranching, and outdoor recreation vital to Colorado’s outdoor heritage. This process and the resulting legislation are supported by the Board of County Commissioners from Gunnison County in addition to the neighboring Pitkin, Hinsdale, Delta, Ouray, and Saguache county commissions.

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.