[CPEO-MEF] Proposed wilderness used by military

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

[Colorado]
11.20.02
Proposed wilderness used by military
By GARY HARMON The Daily Sentinel

The throbbing roar of a Blackhawk helicopter punctuating the silence of
the Rocky Mountains is not necessarily what Congress had in mind when it
came up with the idea of wilderness in 1964.

U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo., has introduced House Resolution 5722
to establish the 50,000-acre Red Table Mountain Wilderness area visible
from Interstate 70 passing Gypsum.

The area, which is being managed as wilderness under the White River
National Forest's new management plan, also is home to the High-Altitude
Army Aviation Training Site, where helicopter pilots are introduced to
the vagaries of thin air and rushing mountain winds.

Modern aeronautical technology and wilderness aren't a good mix, said
Richard Compton of the White River Conservation Project, who has lobbied
10 years to have Red Table designated a wilderness.

At first blush, Compton said helicopter training in the wilderness might
be tolerable, observing that "not every wilderness area is pristine and
that's something we accept."

In more closely examining the issue, Compton said that exceptions for
landing strips in wilderness areas seemed to be inappropriate for Red
Table.

"We would rather find another place for them to train," he said. The
helicopter training is "a live issue" for the wilderness.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2002/11/20/1037795450.03162.9695.2729.html

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