Udall: Parks need our protection

RBC I Sen. Mark Udall, chairman of the U.S. Senate National Park Subcommittee, said a report issued by the U.S. National Park Service highlights why he has fought to protect Colorado’s national parks, monuments and recreation areas, which support the Colorado way of life.
The report found that in 2012 more than 5.8 million people visited Colorado’s parks, spending $347.4 million and directly supporting nearly 5,000 jobs.
The report also highlights the destructive effect the 2013 government shutdown had on communities like Estes Park, Cortez and other gateways to our nation’s national parks.
According to the report, which highlighted parks that experienced a loss of $2 million or more in visitor revenue, the 2013 government shutdown led to: 177,000 fewer visitors to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park and an estimated loss of $10.9 million in visitor spending; and, 30,000 fewer visitors to Cortez and Mesa Verde National Park and an estimated loss of $3 million in visitor spending.
“As chairman of the U.S. Senate National Park Subcommittee and an avid outdoorsman, I understand the important role Colorado’s national parks, monuments and recreation areas play in creating jobs, sustaining local economies and supporting our way of life,” Udall said. “From Rocky Mountain National Park to Mesa Verde National Park to the Colorado National Monument, our public lands form the very foundation of the Centennial State.
“This report also underscores the destructive effect that partisan politics can have on these national treasures,” he said. “The reckless 2013 government shutdown and the pain it caused in Estes Park and across Colorado have only steeled my resolve to keep fighting to support and protect Colorado’s spectacular parks and monuments and the communities they support.”
Udall, who is honorary chairman of Rocky Mountain National Park’s 100th anniversary celebration, has been a strong proponent of Colorado’s national parks and other public lands.
As Colorado’s senior U.S. senator, Udall decried how the partisan 2013 government shutdown hurt Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and the state’s flood-recovery work. He also welcomed the federal government’s decision during the shutdown to allow Colorado’s state government to reopen Rocky Mountain National Park.
Udall also has worked to continue to protect Colorado’s spectacular public lands and sensitive wilderness areas.
He recently unveiled a plan to protect 22,000 acres of wilderness near the Arkansas River by establishing the Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Area and is working with U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton and local residents to develop a proposal to redesignate Colorado National Monument as a national park.