TELLURIDE — A more than two-year effort to create legislation that protects large swaths of public lands got a major boost forward recently when U.S. Rep. John Salazar unveiled a draft San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act that would, if passed, protect more than 63,000 acres as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Now it’s time for the people to show their support – and in time for the August 16 deadline for submission of public comment to Salazar’s office.

“We would like to overwhelm his office with support of this legislation,” said Sheep Mountain Alliance Executive Director Hilary White.

SMA joined with the Colorado Wilderness Network in presenting a proposal to Salazar following an initial request for the designation made by the San Miguel, San Juan and Ouray County Commissions for protection of lands on the Grand Mesa, in the Uncompahgre, Gunnison and San Juan National Forests, and in the San Juan Bureau of Land Management Resource Area.

“I think it’s a very great thing for the environment and Colorado,” said San Miguel County Commissioner Elaine Fischer.

The SMA, the San Juan Citizen Alliance and the Ridgway/Ouray Community Council collaborated on the legislation, and spent two years gathering broad citizen support, endorsements from all three counties and other important stakeholders.

“We are very much in favor of it,” said White.

“Not only has Sheep Mountain Alliance and other conservation and wilderness groups done extraordinary outreach and conflict resolution, but Congressman Salazar’s office has doubled up and signed on to that effect.”

The wilderness designation offers the highest level of protection to public lands, and currently there are over 109 million acres. While many recreational activities including horseback riding, hunting and skiing are permitted in these areas, those that require mechanical transport or motorized equipment generally are not.

Only Congress may designate wilderness, and if Salazar’s legislation is approved as drafted it would add: 3,374 acres to the existing Lizard Head Wilderness Area by the Blackface, Sunshine and Wilson additions; 9,086 acres to the existing Mt. Sneffels Wilderness Area by the Liberty Bell and Last Dollar additions; and13,224 acres to the existing Mt. Sneffels Wilderness Area by the Whitehouse addition.

It would also designate 8,614 acres of the McKenna Peak Wilderness Study Area, the northern half, as Wilderness.

Although the groups sought Wilderness designation for the land, the proposed legislation would designate 22,582 acres as the Sheep Mountain Special Management Area. While no new roads or development will be permitted in the area, currently permitted uses including heliskiing will be allowed to continue indefinitely.

“We are satisfied with that because the area will be managed as wilderness,” said White.

In Naturita Canyon another 6,595 acres held by the U.S. Forest Service would be withdrawn from eligibility for mineral leasing. However topography and existing Forest Service regulations may have ultimately prevented oil and gas development even if leases were to remain in play.

“Parts of the canyon are remote and inaccessible,” said White. “Hopefully that allows for some natural protection.”

“My sense is that we couldn’t approve any development in the canyon and comply with our guidelines and standards,” said Judy Schutza, district ranger for the Norwood Ranger District.

Additionally, were any development proposed, the Forest Service would then need to prepare a site-specific Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement, the findings of which would mostly likely preclude development.

“I don’t believe we would have any leasing inside the canyon anyway,” said Schutza.

While the draft legislation encompasses much of the land that conservationists hoped to protect, some areas were left out.

Those areas include about eight miles of the Dolores River canyon downstream of Snaggletooth Rapid, and the southern half of the McKenna Peak Wilderness Study Area, left out, “in deference to opposition from Dolores County commissioners to wilderness,” wrote San Juan Citizens Alliance Executive Director Mark Pearson in the Durango Herald.

A mineral withdrawal for the Perins Peak State Wildlife Area requested by the La Plata County Commission and the Durango City Council was also left out, Pearson wrote.

Overall, however, White had high praise for the proposal and Salazar.

“This is a huge step that we hope the Congressman will take up very soon, and it’s a large statement of his conservation values,” she said.

Maps, photos, and the full bill text can be found on Congressman Salazar’s website at HYPERLINK "http://www.house.gov/salazar/sjmw.shtml" www.house.gov/salazar/sjmw.shtml.