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
Lee, so people had free reign of Yelowstone while O'bama was there?
Rick,
who paid for Obama's transportation? Who paid for his food and hotels? Who paid his admission fee? Those are the expenses I am referring to. I dare guess more people were inconvenienced by his visit than would be by a bike race in CNMT.
Instead of arguing over potential impacts, we could have the race done once, and then measure whether it was a good or a bad thing for the park. It's not like having the race once will destroy the park.
It sure seems like the race impacts are overblown just to create a bit of FUD. I get the impression that race opponents are afraid that if the race happens, we may find out that there is no negative impact.
So in Utah it is really happening:
"Stage 2 will meander through terrain sculpted by 325 million years of geologic activity, and will be the first professional bicycle stage race to visit a national park, as it passes through portions of Bryce Canyon. From the day’s start in Panguitch, Garfield County seat, the route joins State Route 12, one of America’s most unique and spectacular highways, known as the Journey Through Time Scenic Byway. ... The race finishes in Torrey, in the shadow of Capitol Reef National Park and the geologic wonder known as the Waterpocket Fold. If you can watch only one stage of the 2013 Tour of Utah, this is the one."
[color=#707070]http://www.tourofutah.com/2013/stages/panguitch-to-torrey[/color]
[color=#707070]This will be a huge promotion opportunity for southern Utah. [/color]
But, Gila, the race will NOT enter the main portion of Bryce Canyon National Park itself. The race will follow Highway 12 past the turnoff to the park's entrance. The portion of Bryce Canyon that it will traverse is within the park, but is a portion that has no significant visitor use. The route actually passes about five or six miles north of the park's entrance. Check the map included in your link. This is the part of the park over which scenic flights are permitted because they will not disturb visitors. The pink cliffs actually extend several miles further north than the park's northern boundary.
The road in Bryce is one way with a dead end. If they were to race through the park, they'd have to turn around at the end and retrace their route. This race will not cause the kind of distruption to Bryce that the race at Colorado would certainly produce. Nor will it cause the kind of disruption that has caused four or five Utah cities to decline repeat performances of the race due to the volumes of complaints from their residents following races in Ogden, Springville, Payson and Provo. As the new mayor of Ogden said, "Benefits from the race were realized by only a very small number of our businesses. Too many others suffered serious impacts instead. Taxes resulting from the race were eclipsed by public expenses in support of the race." The city council voted against another race permit, with only one council member voting in favor.
I've been to Bryce Canyon myself, I know the park layout pretty well. ;)
And while the road through Colorado NM is not a main through-route, UT12 in Bryce Canyon is. So my guess is that it should be much easier to close down a tourist-only route like Rim Rock road instead of a main road artery like UT12.
Ut 12 is hardly a main road -- except in summer when it's full of tourists. Have you been to Colorado NM?
Uh, you mean like when they are going to run the race?