6/4/2002
1142
SUIT FILED TO PROTECT WILD COLORADO RIVERS
Nationwide, 150 river segments,
totaling 10,500 miles have been protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
But despite its plethora of grand rivers, Colorado has only one protected river
under the Act: the Cache la Poudre River. To rectify the omission and ensure
that Colorado's streams are protected from mining, dams, logging, road building
and pollution, the Center for Biological Diversity, Colorado Rivers Alliance
and Taxpayers for the Animas River filed suit on 3-4-02, charging that six BLM
districts have refused to assess their lands to determine if they contain rivers
"eligible" for protection. Once found eligible, the streams and rivers
must be protected until a final decision on their fate is made.
Among the rivers likely
to be protected by the suit are the North Platte, Yampa, Green, San Miguel and
Uncompaghre Rivers. All are home to important trout fisheries.
The suit is being argued
by Matt Bishop of the Western Environmental Law Center. It is part of the Center's
Wild Rivers Campaign which has thus far moved to protect rivers in California,
Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Michigan.
To find out more about the
campaign, Click
here.
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