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Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign

The Hidden Gems Wilderness campaign seeks to turn 342,000 acres in Summit, Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield Counties into ... well, wilderness. But the plan is controversial. Many groups say wilderness protection is too strong and would prevent recreation in places and could even harm tourism. But proponents say it's the only way to truly protect vast swaths of land for future generations. This series looks at the proposal and the forces and politics surrounding the campaign.

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Polis to reintroduce last year's wilderness bill

Hidden Gems is back. Congressman Jared Polis announced on Friday that he'll be re-introducing a bill that would give protection hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land in Eagle and Summit Counties. KDNK's Mathew Katz has more.
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News: Successful wilderness in Idaho could be an example for Hidden Gems

Today we continue a series of stories about the Hidden Gems Campaign. The proposal would give federal wilderness protection protection to hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Western Colorado. But the campaign's run into a number of roadblocks and opposition groups.

Changing the status of public land is always contentious, but it can be done. In Idaho, a similar proposal to Hidden Gems was passed by congress last year. KDNK's Mathew Katz has more.

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News: Polis plan sparks land use discussion across the state

Members of Congress are proposing to hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Colorado as wilderness. Proponents say it's a no-brainer, and crucial to protect some of the state's most beautiful mountain landscapes for future generations. But the wilderness plans have divided many in the environmental community. The latest proposal is from U.S. Representative Jared Polis. It would cover areas in Summit and Eagle counties near Vail. And as KDNK's Bente Birkeland reports, the measure has brought up a much broader discussion about land use, conservation and recreation.
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News: Hidden Gems spurs passions on all sides

Over the past few days, we've heard arguments both for and against the Hidden Gems plan. The campaign hopes to give federal protection to thousands of acres of land in Western Colorado -- protecting it, but barring development and any kind of mechanized use. The conflict over the land has gotten very passionate over the past year. KDNK's Mathew Katz has more.
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News: Hidden Gems unappealing to some in the recreation community

All this week we've been explaining the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal and yesterday, we heard all about the reasons why environmental groups and others want to give federal protection to hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land in Western Colorado. But not everyone is as supportive of Hidden Gems. KDNK's Mathew Katz has more.
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Interactive: Fly over the Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal

KDNK's Mathew Katz took a plane ride over some parts of the Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal. The proposal would give federal wilderness protection protection to hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Western Colorado. But the campaign's run into a number of roadblocks and opposition groups.

Click on the plane on each area of the map to view video of the land from above.

Please note: This map is a rough outline of the areas of the proposal, and is not a completely accurate depiction of the wilderness borders.

Map works best with Mozilla Firefox browser. Click here to view the videos on Youtube.

News: The argument for more wilderness

All this week, we'll be explaining some of the conflicting forces behind -- and opposed to -- the Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal. The plan is to give hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land in Western Colorado federal protection. KDNK's Mathew Katz has more on why some groups are pushing Hidden Gems forward.
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News: A primer on Hidden Gems

News: A primer on Hidden Gems All this week we'll be taking a look at Hidden Gems, the proposal to give wilderness protection to hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Western Colorado. You may have seen the bumper stickers, the newspaper articles, and the meetings about Hidden Gems, but what exactly is it? KDNK's Mathew Katz and Conrad Wilson have this explanation of just what exactly Hidden Gems is.
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Interview: Groups weigh in on Hidden Gems

Interview: Groups weigh in on Hidden Gems Jack Albright of the White River Alliance and Sloan Shoemaker of the Wilderness Workshop discuss the Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign. The conversation took place during Valley Voices and was moderated by KDNK's Marilyn Gleason.
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News: Wilderness campaign and bikers at odds

News: Wilderness campaign and bikers at odds The Hidden Gems Wilderness campaign is working to turn some 400,000 acres around the Roaring Fork Valley into protected wilderness. While that may seem like a goal few would oppose, it turns out the reality of getting Congress to sign off on protecting huge tracts of forests is complex.

The Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association says they can't support the effort, because the legislation would prohibit mountain biking in the proposed wilderness areas. KDNK's Conrad Wilson has been following the Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign and explains how two likely allies have found themselves at odds.

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