CORE Act Update
We’re asking President Biden for action
We’re thanking Colorado conservation champions for taking a huge step forward to protect Colorado’s public lands. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Representative Joe Neguse, and Governor Jared Polis sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to create a new national monument in the heart of Colorado and to use other executive actions to advance some critical components of the CORE Act, which Conservation Colorado has been fighting to pass in Congress for many years.
Colorado’s public lands define the state’s identity, provide world-class recreation opportunities, support iconic wildlife, and are critical to Coloradans’ way of life. Yet climate change, oil and gas drilling, sprawling development, and a lack of funding to support recreation are threatening Colorado’s public lands, natural resources, and unique wildlife.
For over a decade, Conservation Colorado has worked alongside a broad coalition to pass the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act. This bill would increase protections for 400,000 acres of some of the state’s most treasured public lands, including the Thompson Divide, Camp Hale and the Tenmile Range, Curecanti National Recreation Area, and the San Juan Mountains. Despite strong local support for the legislation, the bill has stalled in Congress.
While Conservation Colorado remains committed to passing the CORE Act, these vital landscapes urgently need protection. That’s why Conservation Colorado is joining our elected officials and partners in asking President Biden to take action now. The President should create the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, withdraw critical habitats and recreation areas from oil and gas leasing and mining, and conserve areas in the San Juan Mountains through Forest Service management directives.
“As we continue to push to get the CORE Act over the finish line, I join Coloradans in urging President Biden to take prompt action to protect Camp Hale, along with the other public lands in our bill.”
– Senator Michael Bennet
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need action to protect Colorado’s public lands?
To steward Colorado’s public lands for future generations, we need more protections from unchecked development, oil and gas drilling, and mining. We also need funds to manage the impacts of recreation to our land, water, and wildlife so all Coloradans can responsibly enjoy the outdoors for generations to come. Because about 23.8 million acres of land in Colorado are managed for the public by the federal government, that often means we need to advocate at Congress or the White House for the strongest, most durable protections possible. These might include wilderness areas, national monuments, or recreation management areas. The designation advocates will seek depends on the character of the place and the needs and desires of local communities.
Usually, the best way to protect lands permanently requires going through the U.S. Congress. But right now, passing public lands legislation is an uphill battle against partisan division and special interests. Thankfully, the president can also use certain executive powers to protect public lands.
What places in Colorado are part of the CORE Act?
The CORE Act, co-sponsored by Senators Bennet, Hickenlooper, and Representative Neguse, aims to conserve lands in four different parts of the state: Camp Hale and the Contintental Divide, the Thompson Divide, the San Juan Mountains, and Curecanti National Recreation Area. Scroll through below to learn more about these special places!
Camp Hale and the Continental Divide
A historic high-elevation valley just north of Leadville, Camp Hale was an army base where the 10th Mountain Division soldiers trained in mountain combat for some of the roughest terrain in WWII. In 1965, the Army gave the land to the Forest Service and it has since become a popular area for recreation.
Thompson Divide
Credit Ecoflight. High resolution file.
This stretch of backcountry between the Roaring Fork and North Fork Valleys is vital to local ranching, hunting, fishing, and recreation economies in Colorado’s rural Western slope. But its clear streams, mountain peaks, abundant wildlife, and aspen groves are threatened by oil and gas leasing.
San Juan Mountains
Some of Colorado’s most stunning peaks and striking landscapes are found in the San Juan Mountains in the southwest corner of the state. This area offers world-class hiking, backpacking, skiing, mountain biking, and other recreational opportunities, as well as critical wildlife habitat and cultural resources.
Curecanti National Recreation Area
The unique geology around Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison marks it as a state treasure in itself, not to mention the world-class fishing and exploration opportunities in the state’s largest body of water. In 1965, Curecanti National Recreation Area was established, Congress has still never officially designated its boundary. This limits the National Park Service’s ability to effectively manage the area.
What is the history of the CORE Act?
The CORE Act grew out of ideas that local communities have been workshopping for years. From backcountry skiers in Telluride, to ranchers in Carbondale, to business owners in Gunnison, to WWII veterans who trained at Camp Hale, the CORE Act has brought together Coloradans of many backgrounds to unite in preserving treasured lands for the future.
Different versions of the CORE Act have passed the U.S. House five times, but despite continuous dedication of legislative champions like Senator Bennet, it has stalled in the U.S. Senate. Most recently, in May 2022, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee deadlocked in a 10-10 vote, making the CORE Act eligible for inclusion in future public lands packages but stalling its momentum in advancing towards full passage.
What could President Biden do?
- Invoke the Antiquities Act to create the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. This would be the first national monument established by the Biden Administration and should include the historic 10th Mountain Division training grounds proposed for protection in the Tenmile Range.
- Direct Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland to use her authority to withdraw the Thompson Divide from mineral entry, which will prevent the area from being exploited for oil and gas leasing and development and mining for the next 20 years.
- Protect Colorado’s famed San Juan Mountains, such as Sheep Mountain and Naturita Canyon, as proposed in the CORE Act, through an ongoing land management planning process soon to be finalized by the U.S. Forest Service.
These actions would help protect many of the most important and at-risk lands in the CORE Act from extraction, degradation, and development.
What would happen to the CORE Act if President Biden takes executive action?
Conservation Colorado and our partners will continue to fight for passage of the CORE Act alongside our Congressional champions. The areas in the CORE Act are some of Colorado’s most exemplary public lands that deserve the level of lasting protection that locals have been fighting to achieve for years. Even if President Biden takes all the action he can, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish all of the goals of the CORE Act. For example, the Thompson Divide would still need permanent protection. Thousands of acres in the San Juans and the Continental Divide would still need stronger conservation-oriented protections (such as Wilderness) that only Congress can provide. This includes designating wilderness areas within the proposed national monument, which Congress has done previously within other national monuments.
As we advocate for President Biden to act, we know that Coloradans are with us. The 2022 State of the Rockies poll found that 86% of Coloradans support creating new national parks, national monuments, national wildlife refuges and tribal protected areas to protect historic sites or areas for outdoor recreation. And more than 8 in 10 Coloradans support national monument designations for CORE Act Areas, according to a 2022 poll by the Center for Western Priorities.
We thank Senator Bennet for his leadership in bringing together key decision makers and taking this movement forward at a critical time. Stay tuned with Conservation Colorado for updates!
