Conservation bill headed for House floor

Posted by egable on April 2nd, 2008 filed in Public lands

The House of Representatives is expected to vote next Wednesday on a bill that would protect 26 million acres of the West’s wildest landscapes.

The Interior Department created the so-called National Landscape Conservation System in 2000 to protect public lands with prime recreational opportunities, critical wildlife habitat and wilderness areas. Lands in Colorado included within the system are the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area, Continental Divide Trail, Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, wilderness areas and wilderness study areas.

A coalition of 70 non-profit groups have rallied behind the bill. You can watch a Wilderness Society video about the system here.