{"id":1320209,"date":"2020-05-26T23:08:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T05:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/resiliency-for-mountain-economies-means-protecting-public-lands\/"},"modified":"2020-05-26T23:08:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T05:08:00","slug":"resiliency-for-mountain-economies-means-protecting-public-lands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/resiliency-for-mountain-economies-means-protecting-public-lands\/","title":{"rendered":"Resiliency for mountain economies means protecting public lands"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Coloradans love our public lands \u2014 and so do the visitors whose tourism helps drive our mountain economies. So when the coronavirus arrived in Colorado, the damage was staggering. Thriving high country communities \u2014 employing thousands of people \u2014 had to shut their doors overnight, telling visitors from around the world to stay home.<\/p>\n

Those early decisions saved lives. Now our mountain towns are facing some of the highest unemployment rates in the state and the prospects of an extended economic crisis.<\/p>\n

While we won\u2019t fully rebuild until we have universal testing or a vaccine, we need to look beyond the multi-trillion dollar emergency aid bill passed by Congress and think about how to revitalize our mountain communities for the long run. Protecting our public lands is an essential part of that conversation.<\/p>\n

Social distancing has given Coloradans one more reason to value our treasured public lands. The great outdoors have provided solace in a time of crisis and community in a time of distance. Even those of us on the Front Range know that when it\u2019s safe, Colorado\u2019s majestic peaks and over 39,000 miles of trail will be there to welcome us.<\/p>\n

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