Monument may become national park

RBC I After years of public input and meetings, Sen. Mark Udall, chairman of the U.S. Senate National Parks Subcommittee, and Rep. Scott Tipton, of the House Committee on Natural Resources, announced the formation of a local executive committee to help craft discussion-draft legislation to re-designate the Colorado National Monument as a national park.
The five-member executive committee will work with Udall and Tipton to produce discussion-draft legislation that addresses local residents’ concerns and find a way to move forward on the park’s plan. Following completion of the executive committee’s work, Udall and Tipton will hold a public comment period for the community to provide feedback on the discussion draft.
“The Colorado National Monument is one of our state’s most recognizable and stunning public lands. I am proud that Congressman Tipton and I have joined together to form this local executive committee to keep the conversation going on the Colorado National Monument’s future,” Udall said. “I look forward to working with these community leaders to draft legislation that addresses local concerns while also finding a bipartisan, common-sense way forward to honor John Otto’s original vision for the Colorado National Monument.”
“The Colorado National Monument is an integral part of the lives of Mesa County residents. The monument inspires wonder in all who behold the red cliffs, provides opportunities for prosperity in the region as well as an escape from the rigors of daily life,” Tipton said. “With respect for the role the monument plays in the community, Sen. Udall and I are pleased to announce the formation of a committee, and with it, the next step towards achieving the best possible outcome for the monument and people of Mesa County.”
The executive committee, which will meet periodically over the next several months to help draft legislation, is made up of: Kristi Pollard, director of development at Colorado Mesa University; Warren Gore, a Glade Park rancher and chairman of Udall and Tipton’s recent Colorado National Monument working group; Ginny McBride, chairwoman of the Colorado National Monument Association Board of Directors; Michael Burke, chairman of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce; and Jamie Lummis, a member of the Grand Junction Economic Partnership and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge organizing committee.
The formation of the executive committee follows more than a year’s worth of work by the Colorado National Monument working group, which explored the implications, benefits and possible issues of redesignating the monument as a park.