When the American buffalo rebounded from near-extinction and gray wolves returned to the wild, they found their refuge in the tawny grasslands and pine-covered ridges of Yellowstone National Park. When grizzly bears lost most of their habitat to logging and development, the northern Rockies provided them with the thousands of square miles of wild forests and meadows they needed to survive. Without the vast stretches of Rockies wilderness, where will the next species go to be replenished?

Despite these questions, the Bush administration is set on sacrificing more of the country's most cherished wild places to satisfy the energy and ski industries. Colorado’s wild forests provide crucial habitat for the Canada lynx, greenback cutthroat trout, elk, and other imperiled wildlife. In addition, they provide a major clean drinking water source for many communities and the area's superb recreational resources are contributing to new and burgeoning economies across the region.

As part of its latest attack on America's last wild places, the Bush administration has announced a rule that would eliminate protections for hundreds of thousands of acres of Colorado’s most pristine forests. The proposal would also weaken protections for millions of acres of other national forests in the state, opening them to logging, roadbuilding, and other development.

Tell the Bush Administration to uphold protections for Colorado's wild forests.

Photo credits: Bear grass and moon at twilight, © Randy Beacham. Bison with calf, © Laura Romin & Larry Dalton, Wildlife Reflections Photography.