75 acres Protected within the Holy Cross Wilderness

The Wilderness Land Trust announced that it transferred to the Forest Service 75-acres of private property within the Holy Cross Wilderness area, known as the Polar Star Lodes. The property was threatened by development as a back country retreat and included portions of the popular New York Mountain and New York Lakes trails, which would have blocked by its development.

The Wilderness Land Trust purchased the seven mining claims that comprise the Polar Star Lodes in 2005. These private lands are near the popular Polar Star Inn, operated by the Tenth Mountain Division Huts Association and are arranged in two separate parcels. Originally an active mine, they were now threatened with development as a back country retreat. No easements were in place for the Forest Service trails and trailhead on the land. Its development would have blocked access along these popular trails. It is now forever preserved as part to the Holy Cross Wilderness.

The United States Congress designated the Holy Cross Wilderness in 1980 and it now has a total of 122,884 acres. All of the wilderness is in Colorado and is managed by the Forest Service.

Location Map of Polar Star Lodes

Cascading streams, dozens of emerald green lakes, and wide valleys moistened by melting snow make Holy Cross a watery alpine Wilderness of glistening beauty. Dominated by 14,005-foot Mount of the Holy Cross, this Wilderness also has 25 or so peaks that rise above 13,000 feet, mighty ridges fling themselves skyward above glacier-carved U-shaped valleys, and numerous aspen groves burn gold in September. Wildlife including deer, elk, black bears, bobcats, and lynx find abundant homes in Holy Cross, and its streams run full of trout.

The Wilderness Land Trust is a nonprofit, publicly supported charity dedicated to the acquisition and transfer to federal ownership of these private lands (known as inholdings) through voluntary mechanisms that respect landowner’s property rights and values.

To date the Trust has protected 331 parcels comprising 29,240 acres of wilderness inholdings in 72 designated and proposed wilderness areas in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Washington.

The Wilderness Land Trust Completes 40 acre preservation project in the Granite Mountain Wilderness Study Area

The Wilderness Land Trust announced that it has completed the preservation of 40 acres of private lands (inholdings) within the Granite Mountain Wilderness Study Area (WSA) east of Mono Lake, California. This WSA is adjacent to the just designated Granite Mountain Wilderness Area and within the view shed of the Mono Lake National Conservation Area.  The presence of private lands is a major reason why this part of the WSA was left out of the 2009 Granite Mountain Wilderness when designated at the beginning of 2009.

The Granite Mountain WSA consists of sagebrush and piñon-juniper habitat, migrating sand dunes, basaltic plateaus, and granite ridges within California’s Great Basin.  Wildlife that commonly use the area include black-tailed jackrabbit, American badger, grey fox, golden eagles, the Mono Lake mule deer herd, and associated predators like bobcats and mountain lions. The WSA contains several archaeological sites, including the historic wintering areas of the Mono Lake Paiutes. The 360-degree view from the top of the 9,000-foot Granite Mountain includes the Sierran scarp, the Mono Craters, the White Mountains, and the Excelsior Range in Nevada

Private lands within designated wilderness areas and WSAs retain their historic development rights, including to build roads and extend utilities to the property.  Over 400,000 acres of private lands remain within already designated wilderness areas. 

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