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Organizations Want Veto Power Over National Park Service At Colorado National Monument

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There's a story in western Colorado involving Colorado National Monument that bears watching. The gist of the story is that some local community organizations are in support of redesignating the monument as a national park, but only if they can veto Park Service decisions on what uses the monument is appropriate for.

Onlookers believe that this ties in to past efforts to have a professional bike race -- the 2013 USA Pro Challenge -- course through the national monument along the 23-mile-long Rim Rock Drive. In the past, officials all the way up to the director of the National Park Service have said that would be an inappropriate use of the national monument.

Now, earlier this spring the West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association passed a resolution in support of renaming the monument a national park. That resolution was similar to one adopted earlier by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as one passed by the Grand Junction Economic Partnership. The kicker is that the groups want the legislation to give community stakeholders veto power over any Park Service decisions on uses the agency finds are inappropriate for the monument...such as a professional bike race.

Whether legislation will be introduced into Congress this summer by either U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton or U.S. Sen. Mark Udall to redesignate the monument as a national park remains to be seen.

Park advocacy groups, though, are keeping an eye on this issue and are stressing that the Park Service's hands should not be tied when it comes to what is appropriate for Colorado National Monument.

At the National Parks Conservation Association, officials have said it is good for the Park Service to meet with local stakeholders to discuss the future of Colorado National Monument. But David Nimkin, senior director for NPCA's Southwest regional office, has made it clear that NPCA strongly opposes a professional bike race through the monument.

Simply put, he says, the commercialization of the national monument is out of bounds.

Also watching the issue is the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, which also opposes a professional bike race in the monument. While that group believes it is doubtful that Sen. Udall would offer legislation that would provide local stakeholders veto power over the Park Service, the Coalition nevertheless has notified him of its position on the matter. If the senator or any other congressional representative offers legislation to rename the monument as a national park for the significant natural resources and history of Colorado National Monument, the coalition will offer its official position on the matter at that time.

Comments

Nicely said, indeed, Scott Merritt.


Thank you Scott Merritt, right on.


I dont believe this place is worthy of the upgrade. I've spent some time here, and I just feel that it is a smaller version of Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef.

Lately, it seems like a lot of places are trying to get their national wilderness lands or national monuments upgraded to National Parks, and my concern is that a lot of these lands are not worthy of the designation, and it cheapens the overall brand.

Cuyahoga National Park was the start of the cheapening of the brand in my opinion. That area is just a glorified state park, and when you compare it to the grandeur of a place like the Smokies, or Glacier, or the Grand Canyon it is not even on the same level in terms of the amount of wilderness, and the amount of protected natural features. I feel that Colorado National Monument should stay a national monument. Yes, it's beautiful. Yes it has some flora and fauna biodiversity that is typical of the region. BUt it is not vast enough or significant enough to stand up there in the National Park realm.


FYI,

The Pro Challenge is a professional race with a limit as to who can enter (professional bicyclists).

The Ride the Rockies Tour is not professional and is not a race and has no limit as to who can enter (entry is by lottery to anyone, not just professional cyclists).

So, you are comparing apples to oranges, here.

Commercialism has nothing to do with the decision to permit one and not the other. The scope of each event is completely different; one is open to the public and for pleasure, the other is closed to the public and for profit.


They call that John Q disease in these parts.


ec, you don't have to specifically ask for an entitlement. Your very attitude demonstrates that you don't ask. You demand.

If you don't understand my comment, read yours again.

And our current mayor is a Republican who saw the light after his predecessor caved in to the race pushers. (Who may not be much different than other kinds of pushers.)

You say you would be against the race if you saw or heard from anyone who will acknowledge cost to the NPS. Perhaps if you'd open your eyes or ears you'd see and hear what the rest of are witnesssing.

It struck me last night that this entire debate has devolved into an excellent analogy for what's happening in Congress right now. Some people who are trying to find sensible solutions to vexing problems are being outshouted by a few very noisy ones who spend their time obfuscating, delaying, twisting, dodging and trying to prevent anything productive or that might benefit more than a few powerfully wealthy organizations or individuals who insist on gaining short term profit over long term policies that may prevent destruction of good things.

With all due respect, I acknowledge that no matter how wrong you may be, you will never be able to see the light because you will continue -- for whatever reason -- to cover your eyes and ears. All I can do is continue to hope that there will be enough Americans who will recognize the fallacy of that approach and continue to fight against it. They once handed one heck of a surprise to a fella named Mitt because he tried the same thing.


one is open to the public and for pleasure, the other is closed to the public and for profit.

So what? Being a spectator is free to either. Oh and BTW - there is a limit on the # of Ride the Rockies riders. Not to mention they pay $495 to ride, unless you want the special package at $2,500.


The whole point of federally designated land is to preserve it for the use and enjoyment of all Americans. Caving to local interests is intrisically at odds with that goal.


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