September 19, 2024-

This week another gap in Colorado’s Collegiate Peaks Wilderness was mended as The Wilderness Land Trust transferred the 19-acre Panama Principal Lode to be added to the wilderness area.

With the transfer completed, the threat of development has been removed from the property, and the wilderness area has been made more whole. The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is located between Leadville, Aspen, and Crested Butte, and is a prime example of sensitive alpine habitat. With eight 14,000’+ peaks within it, it has the highest average elevation of any designated wilderness in the lower 48 states and includes 40 miles of the Continental Divide. Dwarfed krummholz trees dot the landscape, growing in twisted shapes, sheltered from the wind by surrounding rocks, showing how extreme the environment is within this high alpine terrain. Only the hardiest animals make this landscape their home. In fact, in 2009 a male wolverine was spotted in the Collegiate Peaks, the first confirmed sighting in the state since 1919.

M56, the young wolverine radio collared in Grand Teton National Park before making his way south to the Collegiate Peaks.

The 19-acre Panama Principal Lode property adjoins and builds off the success of two other Trust projects: the Grandview Lode which was added to the wilderness in 2019, and Spotted Tail Lode which is awaiting transfer. While they are all relatively small properties, their cumulative impact grows as we eliminate more and more inholdings throughout the Collegiate Peaks and nearby wilderness areas. Protection of the Panama Principal Lode also benefits recreation in this popular area, with public access now ensured on the Green Mountain Trail, which runs through the property. The property is also within the viewshed of the scenic Hwy 82 as it climbs to Independence Pass.

This project would not be possible without the donors who generously supported it, the volunteers who helped to restore the property to its wilderness character, and our partners at the Independence Pass Foundation and U.S. Forest Service.

“The Independence Pass Foundation is beyond thrilled that the beautiful Panama and Principal claims have become part of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, where they can be preserved and protected and enjoyed by the public for all time. HUGE thanks to The Wilderness Land Trust and the US Forest Service for making this possible, and to the dozens of volunteers who over four months hauled several tons of dilapidated structures and debris from the properties to make them ‘wilderness ready’ for transfer. What a wonderful way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act!”

– Karin Teague, Executive Director Independence Pass Foundation

This is the 14th property in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness that the Trust has protected.