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
So Rick, did your grandma take yoy there when you where 40? As I have said, no matter the party, Presidents should stay out of NP unless they have done something Park worthy to be there.
Rick, I agree. My first encounter with a President visiting a Park was President Kennedy coming to Yosemite in the early 1960's. I was on the trail crew and we were assigned clearing all the trails near the Ahwahnee Hotel. Everyone was very excited. Like yourself, I have been involved in many high level VIP visits to Parks, President Nixon's wife Pat, at Old Faithful (we all, including the visitors, were impressed with her personal kindness and dignity), President Nixon at Fort Point , the Queen of England and her husband in Yosemite, he was a great guy, an avid bird watcher, he loved the wildness of the park. Like many of you I could go on and on about this, but my own experience was that both the majority of employees and visitors found these visits, exciting and worthwhile. To see our top leaders, or that matter, top world leaders, taking an interest in our nations parks and wild places is extremely positive and usually ends in something good happening. I can remember fairly recently Laura Bush, President Bush's spouse, coming to Yosemite and hiking the High Sierra Loop Trail for 5 days, 50 miles. One ranger was assigned, many of you know her, Laurel Munson Boyers. Everyone enjoyed Laura Bush's trip, it inspired all of us to know that she cared deeply about parks and wilderness areas and took that message back to Washington D.C.
Laura did it right. She did it on her own dime, when she was no longer First Lady, quietly, and didn't shut down the park in the process.
You're not exactly right, EC, as Mrs. Bush visited national parks about once a year during her husband's terms, and brought the Secret Service and motorcades along with her. That said, she was/is a very vocal supporter of the national parks. Too bad she stepped down from the National Park Foundation when her husband left office, though that was probably the norm.
You are correct Kurt, Laura Bush did the trip while her husband was in office. The usual precautions were taken. I think Rick Smiths point is well taken, most of the employees and visitors support seeing their top leaders and or spouses in our parks and other lands. It is usually quite positive and results in increased support for these public treasures.
I stand corrected re Laura. Nevertheless, I still think Presidents should go on their own time and dime and that shutting a Park for dignitaries is less appropriate than opening them for commercial activities.
No parks were "shut" for any presidential visit.
No one who is mandated Secret Service protection has the option to do anything totally "on their own dime". Even if they pay their own airfare to a photo-op clearing their own brush in Crawford, Texas, the security infrastructure is immense and continues. If Laura was to go back to a park today she would still have that in force.