But the Grand County commissioners would not take even that chance. On Monday, Udall and McInnis announced a compromise bill that would protect 17,000 acres, mostly on the Eastern Slope, as wilderness. It would also establish 16,000 acres on the west as a special protection area. In the meantime, the land may be used as it is today by mountain bikers and others. The bill will be considered today in the U.S. House Resources Committee, and it is expected to clear the House.
Grand County prescribes national policy.
McInnis gets some green points. Mountain bikers keep riding the Rogers Pass trail. The citizens get half a mountain of wilderness. Udall has been remarkably tenacious and diplomatic, especially in facing the fierce dogmatism of Grand County. If a portion of James Peak is eventually designated as wilderness, it will be a fine day.