Colorado Wilderness Act of 2026

Sponsor: Diana DeGette (Democratic-CO)February 9, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Designates over 656,000 acres of Colorado lands as new wilderness areas.

This bill would designate over 656,000 acres of land across Colorado by adding them to the National Wilderness Preservation System. This means these areas would be managed to keep them wild, limiting certain human activities like development. It would create 29 new wilderness areas and expand 4 existing ones, affecting outdoor enthusiasts, land managers, and local communities.

What Would Change

Currently, these lands are managed by various federal agencies without the specific designations of wilderness. After this bill, over 656,000 acres would become part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. This means they would be managed to remain wild, with strict limits on development and certain human activities. This would also mean federal agencies would pursue new water rights to support the natural state of these areas, while existing water rights would remain unchanged.

Key Provisions

Designates over 656,000 acres of land in Colorado as wilderness.
Creates 29 new wilderness areas and expands 4 existing ones.
Requires federal agencies to manage these lands to preserve their natural state.
States that the bill would not create buffer zones around wilderness areas, and activities outside the wilderness would not be precluded if seen or heard from within.
Protects existing water rights for current users in these areas.
Allows continued livestock grazing, military helicopter overflights, and certain running events in specific wilderness areas.

View on Congress.gov

HR 7425 · 119th Congress · February 9, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 5/10

Colorado Wilderness Act of 2026

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity