The Wilderness Society supports changing name of wilderness area to Mount Blue Sky
Efforts are underway to rename Mount Evans Wilderness after Mount Blue Sky
Mason Cummings
Mount Blue Sky reflects cultural and spiritual ties to both the Cheyenne and Arapaho people
DENVER [Oct. 17, 2023] — Less than a month after a prominent mountain was renamed Mount Blue Sky, members of Colorado’s Congressional delegation introduced federal legislation this week to change the name of the wilderness that surrounds it.
Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Reps. Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen introduced legislation in the Senate and House respectively to change the name of the Mount Evans Wilderness to Mount Blue Sky. The change comes only weeks after the U.S. Board of Geographic Names – the committee that oversees the renaming of all geological features in the United States — voted to change the name of one of Colorado’s 14ers along the Front Range, and the peak at the center of the wilderness area, to Mount Blue Sky.
The legislation is part of an ongoing effort to tell a more honest account of history and to create inclusive, welcoming public lands for all Coloradans.
"The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes have long pursued the effort to rename Mount Blue Sky and its surrounding wilderness, backed by a groundswell of local support," said Jim Ramey, The Wilderness Society's Colorado state director. "No wilderness area, stream or mountain should offend, hurt or cause harm to any Coloradan. Let this wilderness area, with Mount Blue Sky at its heart, be a place of healing, comfort and progress. This legislation is a sign of that progress. We thank Senator Hickenlooper and Representative Neguse for their commitment to inclusivity and fairness across all public lands and urge Congress to take up this bill quickly."
The name Mount Blue Sky reflects cultural and spiritual ties to both the Cheyenne and Arapaho people whose ancestors were killed during the Sand Creek Massacre. John Evans, Colorado’s second territorial governor and who the wilderness area’s name commemorates, conspired in the attack.
Because only Congress can designate wilderness areas, changing the name of a wilderness area must also be approved legislatively by Congress.
Contact:
Chelsi Moy, Sr. Communication Manager, The Wilderness Society, (406) 240-3013, Chelsi_moy@tws.org
