| Why
Wilderness?
As early as the 19th century,
many people were concerned about disappearing natural lands. Recently,
with evidence of global warming and other environmental changes, public
concern has increased. Wilderness areas:
- assure that all wildlands
will not disappear.
- help maintain gene pools to
provide diversity of plant and animal life in our rapidly changing
world.
- serve as unique and
irreplaceable living laboratories for medical and scientific
research.
- are places of solitude where
people can experience freedom from our fast-paced, industrialized
society and crowding of people.
- are places where people can
renew the human spirit through association with the natural world.
What are Wilderness Study Areas?
Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs)
are the remaining relatively pristine, roadless areas of our public
lands. WSAs that are designated as Wilderness Areas by Congress, become
part of our National Wilderness Preservation System. Until then, BLM
manages the areas to ensure that wilderness values are not lost.
Currently, BLM Colorado manages
54 WSAs with 346,000 acres recommended for Wilderness Designation; and
52,000 acres currently designated as Wilderness.
A Map of Colorado Wilderness
(all federal agencies) is available from the BLM Colorado State Office
Information Center for $3 |
