Public land hunters and anglers know from experience that the best hunting and fishing goes hand in hand with healthy fish and game habitat. The Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act would help ensure the future of our hunting and fishing heritage and the prosperity of our outdoor recreation economy by protecting vital landscapes from the San Juan Mountains to the Holy Cross Wilderness.
The CORE Act protects important wildlife habitat, including headwaters and migration corridors critical to the health of Colorado River cutthroat trout, elk, mule deer, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep and many other species. This bill has been years in the making through local stakeholder collaboration. Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is committed to helping pass the CORE Act, securing needed protections for wildlife and habitat and expanded recreational access for sportsmen and women.
Through the designation of some 73,000 acres of wilderness, nearly 80,000 acres of new recreation and conservation management areas and a 200,000-acre mineral withdrawal in the water- and wildlife-rich Thompson Divide area southwest of Glenwood Springs, the CORE Act safeguards backcountry fishing and hunting opportunities and preserves healthy fish and wildlife habitat by protecting key areas from activities that could otherwise degrade fish and wildlife values for native trout, elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, moose, black bears and other game species.
In addition, the CORE Act protects the land surrounding Camp Hale—home to the World War II 10th Mountain Division—as the first ever National Historic Landscape. This would honor our veterans’ military legacy and ensure continued recreation in that landscape. The 400,000 acres of land that would be protected by this legislation sustain some of the most remarkable and productive hunting and angling opportunities in our state. We encourage everyone to support the CORE Act.
David A. Lien
Co-Chairman, Colorado
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
