Does Wilderness Affect State Lands and Private Inholdings?
Where federal wilderness lands surround private or state lands, landowners retain the right to access their lands: “[W]here State-owned or privately owned land is completely surrounded by…wilderness, such…owner shall be given rights as may be necessary to assure adequate access…or the…land shall be exchanged for federally owned land in the same State of approximately equal value…” (Wilderness Act, Section 5(a)) Conservationists’ proposed wilderness boundaries nclude a variety of scattered state and private lands. These lands are integral to the protection of ecologically sensitive sites and whole ecosystems. They also serve to create and define more easily recognizable geographic boundaries. The proposed wilderness area boundaries include almost 23,000 acres of state school sections and Colorado Division of Wildlife lands, as well as an additional 4,136 acres of state-owned minerals. Another 3,514 acres of private inholdings lie scattered throughout a dozen areas. The majorit
