Alexander drops resolution to abolish new monument

Alexander drops resolution to abolish new monument

May 10, 2001

"Any way it’s sliced, I just cannot condone ignoring the political lay of the land that this is not going to be overturned."

— State Rep. Mark Larson

By Janelle Holden
Journal Staff Writer

A resolution to abolish the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument will not be heard by the Colorado General Assembly this year.

On Wednesday, Rep. Kay Alexander (R-Montrose) decided to postpone her resolution and "lay it over" until the 2002 legislative session. Alexander introduced the resolution at the behest of monument opponents.

As of Wednesday morning, however, Rep. Mark Larson (R-Cortez) had planned to amend the resolution to include the three points made in a resolution from the Montezuma County Commissioners in April.

Larson said he could not support the resolution as written.

"I don’t think it makes any sense to continually butt our heads against the wall, and continually say ‘Overturn, overturn.’ That’s not going to happen. We’ve been told that by (U.S. Rep.) Scott McInnis, and we’ve been told that by Senator (Ben) Campbell," explained Larson.

"Any way it’s sliced, I just cannot condone ignoring the political lay of the land that this is not going to be overturned. If we’re going to send a message, let’s send a message that says, ‘Let’s form a council and help these people have a venue to reconcile their differences with the management of the monument’."

Monument opponents had hoped the state Legislature would send a message to Congress by passing the resolution. The monument can only be overturned through a Congressional Act, and the resolution would not have had any legal effect on the monument’s status.

Larson wanted to include the commissioners’ points be-cause, rather than asking for the monument’s abolishment, the commissioners had fostered a more politically feasible route. They asked their congressional representatives and the Interior Department for the speedy formation of a Canyons of the Ancients Resource Advisory Council with local representatives who can address local concerns within the monument’s management plan. That plan has yet to be created.

They are also asking Congress for full funding of the monument.

The commissioners made a trip to Washington, D.C., in April specifically to ask congressional representatives whether legislation amending or abolishing the monument was possible. Every congressman they spoke to said abolishment of the monument was not feasible and the local interests should be represented within the advisory council and the management plan.

Alexander acknowledged that "that was the reality we are dealing with," and said that she and Larson wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton encouraging her to include local interests within the advisory council and the monument management plan. Alexander also plans to host a meeting about the monument in the area soon.

The proposed resolution stated that 4,000 citizens signed a petition to revoke and annul the June 9, 2000, proclamation. However, when this petition was presented to Campbell last fall as proof that the monument should be abolished, he said that since none of the signers’ addresses were included, he could not use that to justify introducing legislation to abolish it.

The resolution also cited numerous resolutions from local governmental bodies opposing the monument — many of which were written before the monument was proclaimed last June.