Democrats in Congress have proposed legislation that would extend wilderness protection to more than 24 million acres across the Northern Rockies, including portions of Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest (above). Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service.

In the annals of modern preservation, the "Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act" may prove to be the boldest stroke yet of a Congress unbound from the restrictions placed on new wilderness designations over the last decade, when Republicans controlled Washington.

As envisioned by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and 91 co-sponsors, the bill -- currently under review by the House Resources Committee -- would extend the government's highest protective status to 24 million acres in five states: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

That is more than 10 times the 2.1 million acres of new wilderness designated by Congress in March under the "Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009," and, if approved, would become the second largest one-time wilderness designation since 1980, when Congress added 56 million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

But while the scope of the proposal has excited conservationists, its passage would have dramatic implications for the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service, which would bear most of the responsibility for implementing and enforcing the wilderness designations. Go to story #1