By David Nickum, CTU Executive Director
Earlier this month, the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence – the birth of our nation. While the Semiquincentennial was recognized in a host of ways including in Washington, DC, my wife and I decided to celebrate the occasion through visiting one of America’s most notable innovations: the establishment of protected public lands for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. We went to the Flat Tops and visited Trappers Lake, the cradle of wilderness.
Some of you may know the story of Arthur Carhart. Carhart was a US Forest Service employee who in 1919 was charged with surveying the area around Trappers Lake for the purpose of designating cabin sites and a road that would provide access all around the lake. He completed his assignment, but in seeing the remarkable beauty of the area in its natural state, he submitted along with his survey a memo to his superior at the Forest Service – Aldo Leopold – suggesting that rather than developing the Trappers Lake area it should instead be preserved in its natural state. He wrote:
There are great values of this type to be found in the several forests of the Nation, which in order to return to the greatest total value to the people, not only of the Nation, but of the world should be preserved and protected from the marring features of man made constructions. These areas can never be restored to the original condition after man has invaded them, and the great value lying as it does in natural scenic beauty should be available, not for the small group, but for the greatest population. Time will come when these scenic spots, where nature has been allowed to remain unmarred, will be some of the most highly prized scenic features of the country.
Leopold and the US Forest Service accepted his recommendation, and for the first time in its history the US Forest Service set aside an area to be protected in its wild, untrammeled state. More than 40 years later, the Wilderness Act was adopted as law and the concept of wilderness protection began proliferating to other largely pristine areas. Today, more than 3.7 million acres of Colorado are protected as designated Wilderness – including the Flat Tops Wilderness, centered around Trappers Lake and the landscape that inspired Carhart’s visionary proposal.
Whether you are fishing for cutthroat trout in Trappers Lake, paddling on it in a canoe or kayak, or hiking the scenic Carhart Trail that encircles the lake, this corner of the Flat Tops remains an inspiring place a century after Carhart’s momentous visit. It reflects both the beautiful landscapes and great ideals of our nation, and was for me a perfect place to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. I’m proud to be associated with Trout Unlimited and all of you who are part of our TU community that celebrates, and works to protect, such remarkable places and the fish that call them home.
