This San Juan Wilderness bill includes various levels of protection for 61,682 acres of public land on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison, and San Juan national forests and San Juan Bureau of Land Management Resource Area. All of the acreage affected by this proposal is in San Miguel, Ouray and San Juan counties and the designations in this bill have the support of the county commissions of those three counties.

Under this proposed legislation the following areas will receive Wilderness Area designations:

• 3,170 acres will be added to the Lizard Head Wilderness, alonge the lower flanks of Blackface, Sunshine and Wilson peaks.

• 8,375 acres will be added to the existing Mt. Sneffels Wilderness by the Liberty Bell and Last Dollar additions, near Telluride.

• 13,231acres will be added to the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness by the Whitehouse addition, west of Ouray.

• 8,614 acres of the high-desert McKenna Peak Wilderness Study Area, east of Disappointment Valley, will be designated as wilderness

In addition, two other designations will be created:

• 21,697 acres in San Juan and San Miguel County including Ice Lakes basin and the high alpine peaks near Ophir will be designated as the Sheep Mountain Special Management Area. Existing uses including heliisking will be allowed to continue indefinitely, but no

new roads or other development will be permitted.

• 6,595 acres will be withdrawn from eligibility for mineral leasing in Naturita Canyon. No other uses in the canyon will be impacted.

Key Provisions