It had taken years and much negotiating, but Colorado's congressional delegation had come to agreement on the wisdom of giving Rocky Mountain National Park the protection of an official wilderness designation.

Or so it seemed.

In fact, an omnibus measure that would have conferred that designation on the park — and addressed some 170 other areas across the nation — failed to become law last week in the U.S. House by two votes. Colorado Reps. Doug Lamborn and Mike Coffman, both Republicans, voted against the measure. The state's Democratic representatives, Diana DeGette, Betsy Markey, Ed Perlmutter, Jared Polis and John Salazar, supported it.

It is a disappointment, after decades of bipartisan work by elected officials and environmentalists, that the park failed to get that additional protection. Then-President Richard Nixon proposed the designation for the park in 1974.

To be sure, there were legitimate arguments to be made — on both sides — about the process by which the bill was brought to a vote.