Browns Canyon National Monument celebration overcomes blasts of turbulence

BUENA VISTA — Like a whitewater rafting trip down the Arkansas River, the dedication ceremony Saturday for Browns Canyon National Monument hit a few rough patches along the way.

The outdoor celebration had to be moved indoors, thanks to an unexpected storm. Two of the monument's most active supporters — former Sen. Mark Udall and former Rep. Joel Hefley — were unable to make it, Udall due to a climbing injury, Hefley because of a death in the family.

Then there was the absence of Rep. Doug Lamborn, who represents the area but declined to attend because he objects to President Obama's use of the Antiquities Act to create the monument instead of allowing it to move through the legislative process.

Even so, there were plenty of prominent speakers to fill the void, starting with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who joined Gov. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Michael Bennet for a float through the canyon down the Arkansas River prior to the celebration.

"It is our obligation to leave our land, our water and our wildlife better than we found it, and our public lands in this country are a great gift that we still have, at least in part," Jewell said. "As we grow and we urbanize and we diversify as a nation, and we get more and more disconnected from the outdoors and nature, it is more important today to protect these special places than ever before."

Several hundred supporters turned out for the 90-minute ceremony, which was moved at the last minute to the Buena Vista High School gymnasium.

Other speakers included U.S. Forest Service chief Tom Tidwell and Bureau of Land Management director Neil Kornze, as well as Bennet, Hickenlooper, Rep. Diana DeGette and Southern Ute elder Austin Box.

Efforts to gain protected status for Browns Canyon National Monument, which spans about 21,500 acres of "rugged cliffs, colorful rock outcroppings and stunning vistas," date back to the mid-1970s, according to the Friends of Browns Canyon.

Initially advocates, including Hefley and DeGette, pushed for the area to be designated as wilderness, with Udall proposing monument status for the canyon in 2012.

Lamborn said in a statement that the designation "goes directly against the wishes of thousands of disenfranchised local residents who have raised concerns regarding grazing rights, water rights, outdoor recreation, and wildfire management issues and who continue to voice their opposition."

Others, including the mayors of Buena Vista and Salida, said they expect the canyon's elevated federal status to draw tourists to the recreational area known for its rafting, fishing, hunting and camping.

"I own a small business in town, and we get a lot of foot traffic," said Buena Vista Mayor Joel Benson. "In March, shortly after the designation, I met my first visitors who came to BV strictly to visit the monument."

Unlike most national monuments, Browns Canyon will not be operated solely by federal agencies. The state Department of Parks and Wildlife will continue to help manage the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, home to the region's popular rafting industry.

"The state of Colorado preserves existing agreements for recreational uses and access and serves as a vital management partner for this special area," said the Interior Department in a statement, adding that the designation "does not alter or affect the valid water rights or management of the Arkansas River flows."

Jewell drew cheers by hinting that there were more federal designations to come. On Friday, the president declared three new national monuments in California, Nevada and Texas, totaling one million acres, delighting Democrats and environmentalists but infuriating some Western Republicans, who blasted the move as a federal land grab.

"I will just tell you that my boss is not done," said Jewell.

Obama has established or expanded 19 national monuments, two of those in Colorado, on more than 260 million acres of public land and waters, more than any other president, according to the White House.

Sierra Club president Aaron Mair urged the audience to push for more monument designations. "This is important for the canyon," he said. "This is not enough."

Bennet applauded Colorado's two Obama-designated national monuments, which he described as "victories for our state."

"Colorado can claim Browns Canyon as a national monument, it can claim Chimney Rock as a national monument," Bennet said. "There is not another state in the United States of America that can claim that over the last several years they have had not one but two national monuments and a wilderness bill. What I want to urge all of us to do is keep doing what we're doing, because it works."