Monument alterations to be mulled

Monument alterations to be mulled

Feb. 17, 2001

TIM SINGLETON of Mancos pedals along a trail at Sand Canyon Thursday. He said he rides in Sand Canyon as much as possible. Sand Canyon is part of the newly designated Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, one of 21 monuments that may be reviewed by Congress.

By Janelle Holden
Journal Staff Writer

Although it may not be politically feasible to repeal the 21 national monuments either designated or expanded during the Clinton administration, they could be altered, according to Congressmen Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) and James Hansen (R-Utah).

On Thursday, Hansen, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, and Hefley, chairman of the Parks, Recreation and Public Lands Subcommittee, sent 16 letters to congressmen and women with a new monument in their district.

One of those letters was addressed to Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.). The letter asked McInnis to review the June designation of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in Montezuma County, and decide whether local concerns might warrant a legislative remedy other than abolishment.

"No one is going to see a wholesale rolling back of these monuments," Hansen said. "But we may help members draft legislation to redraw boundaries or alter management plans."

In response to the letter, McInnis issued a brief statement reiterating his opposition to the "polarizing" designation, and his support for funding the new monument.

"With a narrowly divided Congress and absolutely no local consensus, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario under which this national monument is repealed," McInnis stated.

". . .The most important thing now is that Congress gives the BLM adequate funding to manage these lands and that the BLM develops a management plan that citizens in the Four Corners can get behind."

Outside of asking Congress to fund the monument, McInnis plans to make sure traditional uses and historic access are provided within the monument, said Josh Penry, a spokesman for McInnis.

Mike Preston, the Montezuma County federal-lands coordinator, said that McInnis and the county commissioners are on the "same page" concerning funding and meeting local concerns in the management plan.

When asked whether McInnis would consider modifying the monument with legislation, Penry replied, "Certainly he (McInnis) has major concerns and he was opposed to the way President Clinton came in there and created the monument, but it wasn’t like there wasn’t warning. He felt very strongly that our best opportunity to address the situation was a year ago with the National Conservation Area legislation.

"The important thing for the congressman is always local consensus one way or the other and there is no consensus either way whether to keep the monument or to repeal it," Penry explained.

McInnis plans to consult with the Montezuma County commissioners and others before officially responding to Hansen and Hefley’s letter.

The BLM has yet to appoint a local advisory committee to help draw up a management plan for the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Currently the monument is being managed by LouAnn Jacobson under an interim management plan.

A spokeswoman for Hefley said the measures necessary to meet local concerns would vary with each monument and each district, but all suggestions would be considered — including the amount of money appropriated to fund the monuments.

"I think everything is on the table, with the exception of coming in and taking away the designation," explained Sarah Shelden, Hefley’s spokeswoman.

"It was one of Mr. Hefley’s big bones of contention with the Clinton administration that there is an enormous maintenance backlog at national parks, and so you’re not going to see him pulling funding off the table to make a political point at the expense of visitors. We do need to maintain these recreation areas."