Contacts:
- Steve Kandell, Director of the Protection Campaign Center, Trout Unlimited – steve.kandell@tu.org
- Drew Peternell, Colorado State Director, Trout Unlimited – drew.peternell@tu.org
- Zoe Bommarito, National Advocacy Communications Director, Trout Unlimited – zoe.bommarito@tu.org
- Jay Chancellor, Colorado Advocacy Campaigns Manager, Trout Unlimited – jay.chancellor@tu.org
Trout Unlimited media resources: https://tu.org/about/media
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced legislation that would create important new protections for fish and wildlife habitat in Colorado. The Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act would create several new designations protecting over 700,000 acres of public land within Gunnison County that will enhance hunting and fishing opportunities, and conserve critical fish and wildlife habitat in the upper Gunnison River Basin.
If passed in Congress, the GORP Act would designate:
- Nine separate Special Management Areas (SMAs) totaling 214,650 acres
- Eight Wildlife Conservation Areas (WCAs) totaling 223,865 acres
- Four Protection Areas totaling 20,542 acres
- Two Recreation Management Areas (RMAs) totaling 18,247 acres
- Three new Wilderness Areas and additions to six existing Wilderness Areas totaling 122,902 acres, and
- Establishment of the 12,250-acre Rocky Mountain Scientific Research and Education Area (RMSREA)
“This is a major step in the right direction and great news for Colorado’s anglers and hunters. The Gunnison Basin represents some of the best big game habitat in the state and is home to Gold Medal trout fishing waters as well as several streams that hold native Colorado River cutthroat trout,” said Jay Chancellor, Colorado Advocacy Campaigns Manager for Trout Unlimited. “Passage of the GORP Act would ensure these incredible natural resource values are conserved for generations to come.”
The provisions in the GORP Act are based on recommendations from the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative, a coalition comprised of local groups representing the interests of ranchers, anglers and hunters, conservationists, and outdoor recreationists. Trout Unlimited has been involved with the GPLI since its inception, working to develop a plan that would establish large-scale, long-term protections for the public lands, watersheds and waters in the upper Gunnison River Basin while preserving rights to existing uses like grazing, hunting, and fishing.
Kevin Alexander, member of Trout Unlimited’s Gunnison Angling Society chapter said “I am proud to have served as a member of the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative coalition over the last decade. We sat around the table looking at maps, discussing local knowledge, and fish and wildlife values. We received valuable feedback through public meetings and presentations to the community. The resulting GORP Act protects coldwater fisheries and wildlife habitat on a landscape-scale while also supporting ranching, recreation, and other uses of public land.”
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s leading conservation organization dedicated to caring for and recovering America’s rivers and streams so future generations can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon. Across the country, TU brings to bear local, regional, and national grassroots organizing, durable partnerships, and science-backed policy muscle on behalf of trout and salmon fisheries, healthy waters, and vibrant communities.