[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 18, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5138-S5139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BENNET (for himself and Mr. Udall of Colorado):
  S. 3400. A bill to designate certain Federal land in the San Juan 
National Forest in the State of Colorado as wilderness, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I have come to the floor to talk about 
Colorado. This summer, most people have been thinking about the 
wildfires we have had up there. These fires were widespread throughout 
the State, and it is still just the beginning of fire season. We have 
already seen a lot of damage, including the destruction of hundreds of 
homes, and, most sadly, the loss of life.
  I wish to say in this Chamber, to all my colleagues, how much I 
appreciate their kindness. The knowledge that all of you have been 
thinking about people at home has been very comforting to the people I 
represent. Thanks to the heroic work of the firefighters, and with a 
lot of help also from Mother Nature, the fires are under control. So I 
wish to remind people, as I have been doing now for months, that 
Colorado is the best place to visit during the summer. It is the best 
place to bring your family.
  In fact, last week--or during the recess--Susan and I loaded up the 
minivan and drove across the State with our kids. It takes all the fun 
out of playing the license plate game when you are driving in Colorado 
because in about 2 hours the kids saw half the license plates 
representing half the States in the United States--just 2 hours from 
Denver, CO. So I would say, as I have said time and time again, over 
the coming months, if you have plans to come to our State, please do.
  Today, I wish to focus on one area that illustrates how special our 
State of Colorado is.
  The Hermosa Creek watershed is a beautiful parcel of land just up the 
road from Durango in the southwest corner of our State.
  Over 4 years ago, an incredibly diverse group of local citizens, 
mountain bikers, fishermen, outfitters, local elected officials, and 
others got together to talk about the future of this striking land. 
Everybody involved likes to visit the area for recreation or to do 
business there. Their discussion was about how to put together a plan 
from the local level up to manage the area so everyone could enjoy it 
and benefit, and so that we could protect it for the next generations 
of Coloradans and the next generations of Americans.
  A little over a year ago, the group invited my family and me to take 
a hike through the watershed and join the discussion. During a tour 
over the last Memorial Day weekend, we unloaded at the Hermosa Creek 
trailhead, we tied up our boots, and my youngest daughter Anne made a 
hiking stick out of a nearby fallen branch. We started up the trail 
with 40 or so others from the local community.
  As we climbed higher and higher, we were all overcome by the beauty. 
People stopped talking. I stopped talking largely because I was out of 
breath. But the people I was with were as awestruck as I was by the 
beauty of this place. It was a particularly settling walk after being 
cooped up with my children.
  There are forested valleys, crystal-clear streams, and unspoiled 
views. After about an hour, the group pulled off the Forest Service 
trail into a meadow. And as Anne, Helena, and Caroline Bennet made 
themselves and their father and mother dandelion necklaces, we started 
a discussion about what this area means to the people who live there 
and the people who visit. The sportsmen come to fish for native 
Colorado cutthroat trout and for back-country elk hunting. The mountain 
bikers come to enjoy single-track riding on trails known throughout the 
United States of America, and actually in other countries as well. The 
local water districts love Hermosa because it provides drinking water 
for the great city of Durango. Workers in the timber and mining 
industries stress that some of the watershed could contribute to 
extractive development in the future. Some might not know that mining 
has long been an economic driver in that region of our State.
  This is a photograph of the group that hiked that day. The upshot of 
the discussion we had in that meadow was an agreement to work together 
on a bill, a balanced bill that managed the watershed so it would 
contribute to the local economy long into the future. After nearly 14 
months of discussions and negotiations since that hike, I introduced 
that bill earlier today.
  The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act governs the entire 
108,000-acre watershed. It includes provisions to allow for multiple 
uses, such as timber harvesting for forest health; access and trails 
for off-road vehicle enthusiasts, and for mountain bikers.
  It keeps getting better. The bill also adds nearly 40,000 acres to 
the National Wilderness Preservation System, lands that provide unique 
and important opportunities for solitude and reflection, lands that 
will remain undeveloped forever, so they will always have clear streams 
of fish and lush forests for a local outfitter to take clients into the 
wilderness on horseback.
  I am proud to report the bill has the unanimous bipartisan backing of 
the two county commissions involved, the San Juan County Commission and 
the La Plata County Commission. I ask unanimous consent to have printed 
in the Record a copy of letters of support from both counties.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:


[[Page S5139]]




                                              San Juan County,

                                     Silverton, CO, June 27, 2012.
     Sen. Michael F. Bennet,
     Russell Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Bennet: San Juan County is supportive of the 
     collaborative community process conducted by the Hermosa 
     Creek Workgroup. This was an open, inclusive process that has 
     brought together local citizens and organizations that are 
     concerned with protecting the special values of the Hermosa 
     Creek Watershed in San Juan and La Plata Counties in 
     southwest Colorado.
       For more than two years the Hermosa Creek Workgroup worked 
     within the framework developed by the River Protection 
     Workgroup whose goal is ``Involving the public in protecting 
     the natural values of selected streams while allowing water 
     development to continue.''
       As a result of this process, the Hermosa Creek Workgroup 
     determined that ``The Hermosa Creek Area is exceptional 
     because it is a large intact (unfragmented) natural watershed 
     containing diverse ecosystems, including fish, plants and 
     wildlife, over a road elevation range, and supports a variety 
     of multiple uses, including recreation and grazing, in the 
     vicinity of a large town.''
       San Juan County supports the proposed Federal Legislation 
     for the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2012 and 
     respectfully requests that your office initiate a legislative 
     process to achieve the goals set forth by the Hermosa Work 
     Group.
           Sincerely,

                                            Ernest F. Kuhlman,

                                                         Chairman,
     San Juan County Commissioners.
                                  ____



                                              La Plata County,

                                    Durango, CO, November 3, 2011.
     Hon. Michael Bennet,
     Hart Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Bennet: You recently released draft 
     legislation to protect the Hermosa Creek area just north of 
     Durango, and we wish to express our strong support for that 
     component of the legislation. We have previously supported 
     the work and recommendations of the Hermosa Creek Workgroup, 
     and believe that this draft accurately reflects those 
     recommendations.
       The Board of Commissioners has followed the public process 
     conducted by the Hermosa Creek Workgroup since its beginning 
     over two years ago, and we believe that the process has been 
     open, transparent, and effective. Virtually every group with 
     an interest in the Hermosa watershed participated in the 
     discussions, which were constructive and well-facilitated.
       The Hermosa Creek watershed is an invaluable resource for 
     La Plata County for a number of reasons. The recreational 
     opportunities the area offers, from hunting and fishing to 
     hiking, mountain biking, and skiing, are world class, and 
     contribute significantly to the County's recreation and 
     tourism economic base. Local outfitting businesses, hotels, 
     restaurants, gas stations, and gear shops all benefit from a 
     protected Hermosa Creek region.
       With its Outstanding Waters designation by the State of 
     Colorado, Hermosa Creek provides a major clean water 
     contribution to the Animas River, which is the water source 
     for many of La Plata County's residents. As a source of clean 
     air and spectacular scenery, Hermosa Creek also plays a key 
     role in maintaining the natural amenities that make La Plata 
     County attractive to new residents and businesses.
       The proposal to protect the Hermosa Creek watershed through 
     a special management designation, containing wilderness and 
     un-roaded designations for portions of the area, is truly a 
     community-based approach to local land management. We commend 
     you for respecting the hard work of the Hermosa Creek 
     Workgroup by including the group's recommendations in your 
     draft legislation. We support the legislation, and stand 
     ready to help in whatever way to see it enacted into law.
           Sincerely,
     Kellie C. Hotter,
       Chair.
     Robert A. Lieb, Jr.,
       Vice-Chair.
     Wallace ``Wally'' White,
       Commissioner.

  Mr. BENNET. It has the support of the Hermosa Creek Workgroup, 
ranging from hard-rock miners to wilderness advocates. I am pleased to 
carry this bill on behalf of the people of Colorado. I am especially 
proud because this was a community-driven process at its very finest, 
through and through, from beginning to end. Colorado wrote this bill. 
This bill wasn't written in Washington, DC. The bill has grown from the 
grassroots up, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents working 
together to cement a long-term plan for the community's future.
  I also want to thank my senior Senator, Senator Udall of Colorado, 
for joining me as a cosponsor of the bill, and to thank Senators 
Bingaman and Murkowski for their past help moving Colorado land bills 
through their committee. I am confident that as we work on this bill 
together we will find similar consensus.
  To bring this back to the beginning, I don't have to convince most 
people that Colorado is a special place. Many have visited our State 
over their lifetimes to ski our mountains, run our rivers, or climb a 
``14er.'' The Hermosa Creek watershed represents some of the best 
Colorado has to offer. It deserves to be protected for our outdoor 
recreation economy, and for future generations.
  I want to thank all of the people who have spent countless hours 
working together to make sure they could overcome their differences and 
reach a consensus on this bill. As I have told all of them, it makes my 
work so much easier when people work in such a constructive way 
together, and for that, they have my deep appreciation.

                          ____________________