Wow, Estes Park as a shining example? Rocky Park is fine and dandy, but don't forget you've got the Denver Metroplex as a draw base two hours away at most. Never mind that's industrial tourism on an epic scale, there's a too many unhuntable elk problem there, et cetera. Oh, that's right, it's a NATIONAL PARK, not a WILDERNESS AREA -- whole 'nother ball of wax.
The other thing about Estes, or Winter Park, or Granby -- lots of money, probably, but its paid to seasonal workers. Nobody who lives full time in Estes is taking vacations to places like Estes, they can't afford to patronize the kind of businesses they work in, unless they own the business. Up here in Montana, its a fact that the closer you get to Glacier, the lower the wages and higher the poverty level. All the "studies" gloss that over.
Another aspect of the wilderness experience in Colorado, its it's not really wilderness in the sense of solitude. Most of these wildernesses get so much traffic, at least for the first eight miles, there's no firewood below eight feet off the ground, no time at which you're out of sight of another hiking party (at least on summer weekends). These are almost all "nonmotorized hiking areas" that were formerly deserted, but after designation became yuppie magnets for those who like to make lists of all the "wildernesses" they've "conquered."
Tourism and recreation are a terrible base for a local economy. Seasonal, low paying, fickle both by weather AND the larger national economy, as tourism cash, even for hunting, is based on the "player" being prosperous enough to have the cash for "fun stuff."
Finally, I want to emphasize that I live in a county that is the size of Connecticut all by itself, about 2.1 million acres. Of that, fully 1.1 million acres of it is already full-honk USFS wilderness, plus there's another 300,000 thousand of Park that is managed as wilderness through the park plan. I'd say that's more than enough. As for "multiple-use" -- that's down to maybe 400,000 acres at best, and that's not saying much considering most of the road network has been closed or gated off year round, when seasonal closures would work just as well in terms of wildlife management needs.
So, I understand there are hunters who want to prioritize their pleasure over all else, just like there are Fudds who will sell out the rights of others just as long as their ox doesn't get gored. Fine, join BHA.
