The GORP Act Introduced with Bipartisan Support
Image credit to Matt Annabel
This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Wild Works.
This May, in a hopeful act of bipartisanship, Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, alongside Representative Jeff Hurd, reintroduced the ambitious Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act. This legislation would protect over 730,000 acres of public lands in the Gunnison Basin and surrounding areas, reflecting more than a decade of collaborative efforts among local governments, tribes and diverse stakeholders.
The GORP Act proposes a range of land designations, including Wilderness areas, Special Management Areas, and Recreation Management Areas, which are designed to allow existing uses such as ranching, hunting, and motorized recreation to continue while protecting critical wildlife habitats and watersheds. Notably, the bill includes permanent protections for 80,000 acres encompassing the majority of the Gunnison County portion of the Thompson Divide as well as new wilderness protections for 10,000 acres of land near Ashcroft and Pearl Pass.
Local leaders and conservation groups have lauded the GORP Act as a model for bipartisan cooperation and community-driven land management, demonstrating that protection of public lands is indeed a value that cuts across party lines and political ideology. As the bill progresses through Congress, its success could set a precedent for future public land protection efforts nationwide.
