By Megan Waters
Under new language leaked from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, cherished public lands that Colorado communities have proposed for permanent protection are now at risk of being sold off to the highest bidder.
An analysis by The Wilderness Society finds that more than 250 million acres of our shared national public lands could be affected nationwide — including some 14.3 million acres in Colorado, or more than half of our state’s national public lands. This includes areas that local communities have been working for years to protect permanently. From the Dolores River Canyon to Gunnison, and from Summit Country to Steamboat Springs, these landscapes sustain local economies and provide clean water, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities.
CORE Act
The Colorado Outdoor Recreation & Economy (CORE) Act would protect about 420,000 acres of public land across Colorado through a variety of protective designations. First introduced by Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse in 2019, the bill’s four components would protect important wilderness and recreation areas along the Continental Divide, San Juan Mountains and Thompson Divide, and would formally designate the Curecanti National Recreation Area. Under the language proposed by Sen. Lee, the following proposed areas could be sold off:
Spraddle Creek addition to the Eagle’s Nest Wilderness
Hoosier Ridge Wilderness
McKenna Peak Wilderness
Portions of the Liberty Bell and Whitehouse additions to the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness
Wilson addition to the Lizard Head Wilderness
Portions of the Thompson Divide withdrawal
Portions of the Curecanti National Recreation Area (Note: the Curecanti NRA was established through a memorandum of understanding between federal land management agencies and has never been permanently designated by Congress)
Dolores Canyon
First introduced in 2022 by Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Lauren Boebert, the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act would protect about 68,000 acres in Montezuma, Dolores and San Miguel counties in southwest Colorado. When introducing the bill, Rep. Boebert said: “The bipartisan Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act is the gold standard for public lands bills as it protects traditional uses and was written from the ground up by a bipartisan coalition of local stakeholders.” Portions of this landscape, including Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in the Ponderosa Gorge, would be eligible to be sold off under Sen. Lee’s proposal.
Sarvis Creek
Introduced in 2024 by Rep. Neguse, Sen. Bennet and Sen. Hickenlooper, the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act would protect 6,800 acres of sub-alpine wilderness habitats and wildlife while preserving access to outdoor recreation. Nearly all of this proposed wilderness addition would be eligible for sale under the updated bill language.
GORP Act
The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act is the result of a decade-long process by the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative to propose a variety of permanent protections for about 730,000 acres of critical public lands in and around Gunnison County. First introduced by Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper in 2024, Rep. Jeff Hurd introduced a companion bill in the House in May 2025, lending it bipartisan support. Upon introducing the bill, Rep. Hurd said that he was “[h]onored to lead the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act alongside Senator Bennet. This legislation reflects strong local support for the responsible stewardship of our land.” Proposed areas at risk of being sold off include:
Additions to the Uncompahgre Wilderness
Portions of the additions to the Powderhorn Wilderness
Castle, Lamborn and Soap Creek additions to the West Elk Wilderness
Star Peak Wilderness
Ashcroft addition to the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
Portions of numerous wildlife conservation areas, including Sawtooth, Lake Gulch and Cebolla Creek, Pinnacles, Flat Top and Matchless
Portions of the Horse Ranch Park and Double Top Recreation Management Areas
Portions of numerous special management areas, including Pilot Knob, Clear Fork, Beckwiths, Whetstone Headwaters, North Poverty Gulch, American Flag and Union Park
Portions of the Rocky Mountain Scientific Research and Education Area
Portions of the Castle, Deer Creek and Granite Basin Protection Areas
In addition to the areas noted above that have been proposed for permanent protections in Congress, numerous other important landscapes are at risk. Those places include wilderness study areas, inventoried roadless areas, critical wildlife habitat and big game migration corridors. Popular recreation areas are eligible for sale, including the Lunch Loops and North Fruita Desert trail systems near Grand Junction, Phil’s World and Animas City Mountain near Durango, backcountry skiing and hiking accessed from the 10th Mountain and other hut systems, climbing crags along Independence Pass and countless trails surrounding the municipalities in Summit County.
The danger posed by Sen. Lee’s budget reconciliation bill extends beyond currently proposed protections, threatening the very fabric of Colorado’s outdoor recreation and heritage. This includes lands essential to our booming ski industry, long-standing grazing permits and a multitude of recreational pursuits such as hunting, angling, rock climbing, boating and mountain biking, alongside the outfitting businesses that depend on these landscapes.
For additional analysis and background information, visit this media resources page.
This press release was sent on behalf of a coalition of conservation groups working to keep Colorado’s public lands in public hands. Coalition members include Conservation Colorado, The Wilderness Society, Colorado Wildlands Project and Wilderness Workshop.
Megan Waters writes for Conservation Colorado.