Tag Archive for: Colorado

Reid Haughey, Senior Lands Specialist, looks east from the Grandview Lode property

Protecting Collegiate Peaks Wilderness

Sept. 27, 2019 — About a year and a half ago we partnered with the Independence Pass Foundation to purchase the Grandview Lode, a nine-acre parcel in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in Colorado.

Reid Haughey, Senior Lands Specialist, looks east from the Grandview Lode property

Reid Haughey, Senior Lands Specialist, looks east from the Grandview Lode property

Private ownership of this land would have opened it up to development, road construction and the disruption of vital habitat for threatened and endangered plants.

Today I am happy to share with you that we have transferred this property to the public for permanent protection with the U.S. Forest Service.

The Grandview Lode is connected to the Spotted Tail Lode, a 10-acre property we purchased at the same time. Both parcels are within the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and located in the view plane of the preserved ghost town of Independence and State Highway 82, a Colorado Scenic Byway.

Bringing you these wilderness wins is one of the highlights of my work at the Trust because you make these successes possible. To help us raise awareness for our work preserving our nation’s wilderness, please consider sharing this news and encourage your friends and family to sign up for our news updates.

Colorado Land Protected for Future Wilderness

May 31, 2019 — The Wilderness Land Trust has just transferred two Colorado properties totaling 80-acres to public ownership within the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest in Colorado. The land is located near the town of Gunnison, within Colorado’s East Elk Creek, a proposed addition to the West Elk Wilderness Area

A creek winds its way through the proposed West Elk Wilderness addition.

The West Elk Wilderness is home to a host of trails that meander across its many mountain passes. If you’re a determined hiker, you can find lush, secluded valleys lined with trembling aspen that turn a brilliant gold in the fall.

In 2017 we purchased West Elk I, a 40-acre parcel, and in 2018 we purchased West Elk II, an adjacent 40-acre property. They are the last remaining private inholdings within the proposed addition. By transferring this land to the U.S. Forest Service, we have removed all private land issues within the proposed wilderness addition, strengthening the probability that East Elk Creek will become part of the West Elk Wilderness.

Please help us get the word out about our work by sharing this news with your friends and family and sharing our work on Facebook!