[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1642-E1643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                H.R. 1865, SPANISH PEAKS WILDERNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. SKAGGS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 7, 1998

  Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to applaud the action of the House 
early this morning in passing H.R. 1865, the Spanish Peaks Wilderness 
Act.
  The bill is cosponsored by my colleague from Colorado, Mr. McInnis, 
and also by our colleague Ms. DeGette. I greatly appreciate their 
support, and in particular all Mr. McInnis has done to make it possible 
for the House to consider the bill today.
  I also want to thank the gentlewoman from Idaho who chairs the 
Subcommittee and her

[[Page E1643]]

ranking Member, Mr. Hinchey, as well as the chairman and ranking member 
of the full Committee on Resources, for their help in bringing the bill 
to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1865 will provide permanent protection for about 
18,000 acres of the San Isabel National Forest, including the two 
volcanic peaks known as the Spanish Peaks.
  There are many magnificent peaks in Colorado, of course, but these--
the easternmost in the Rocky Mountains--are outstanding. The eastern 
peak rises to 12,683 feet above sea level, while the summit of the 
western peak reaches 13,626 feet. The peaks can be seen for more than 
75 miles. They were well known to Native Americans and were important 
landmarks for other early settlers as well as for travelers along the 
trail between Bent's Old Fort on the Arkansas River and Taos, New 
Mexico.
  So, it's not surprising that the Spanish Peaks portion of the San 
Isabel National Forest was included in 1977 on the National Registry of 
Natural Landmarks.
  The area our bill will protect also has other outstanding resources 
and values, including a spectacular system of over 250 free-standing 
dikes and ramps of volcanic materials radiating from the peaks. These 
volcanic dikes form remarkable free-standing walls, up to 100 feet 
thick and 100 feet high, some extending for 14 miles. The area also 
includes winter range for bighorn mountain sheep and deer, and 
important habitat for elk, pine marten, and other species.
  In all, it is a beautiful and unspoiled part of our Centennial State.
  In fact, the State of Colorado has designated the Spanish Peaks as a 
Natural Area, and the peaks are a popular destination for hunters, 
horseback riders, and hikers seeking an opportunity to enjoy an 
unmatched vista of Colorado's mountains and plains.
  In the 1970's, the Spanish Peaks were reviewed by the Forest Service 
in its ``RARE II'' review of roadless areas, and the Colorado 
designation considered including a wilderness designation for the area 
in the statewide national forest wilderness bill that was enacted in 
1980. However, at that time there were concerns about the manageability 
of the area because of a number of non-federal inholdings. So, the 1980 
Colorado Wilderness Act instead provided for continued management of 
the Spanish Peaks as a wilderness area.
  That same pattern was followed again in the most recent Colorado 
wilderness bill, which included provisions for long-term management of 
all the other wilderness study areas in our state's national forests. 
But while the bill that passed the House in 1992 would have designated 
Spanish Peaks as wilderness, the Senators still had some lingering 
questions about the land-ownership pattern in the area. So, once again, 
the final version of that bill included a requirement for continued 
interim management of the Spanish Peaks as a wilderness study area.
  The 1993 bill also required the Forest Service to report about the 
non-federal inholdings and the likelihood of acquisition of those 
holdings by the United States with the owners' consent. We got that 
report in 1995. It indicated the wilderness study area included about 
825 acres where the United States owned neither the surface nor the 
mineral rights, and some 440 acres more where the United States owned 
the surface but not the minerals.
  Since then, United States has acquired most of the inholdings, by 
purchase from willing sellers--and we have drawn our boundaries so most 
of the rest are outside the wilderness. So, the way is now clear for 
Congress to finish the job of protecting this outstanding area as part 
of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
  That's what this bill do, by adding the Spanish Peaks to the list of 
areas designated as wilderness by the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993. 
As a result, all the provisions of that Act--including the provisions 
related to water--would apply to the Spanish Peaks area just as they do 
to the other areas on that list. Like all the areas now on that list, 
the Spanish Peaks area covered by this bill is a headwaters area, which 
for all practical purposes eliminates the possibility of water 
conflicts. There are no water diversions within the area.
  The lands covered by this bill are not only striking for their beauty 
and value for primitive recreation, but also for their natural values. 
They fully merit--and need--the protection that will come from the 
enactment of H.R. 1865. We should all be proud that it has now passed 
the House.

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