Monday, December 08, 2014

Browns Canyon national monument measure debated

About 400 people turned out for a public meeting on a proposed national monument in Browns Canyon in the southwestern Colorado mountains. Supporters say a national monument designation would resolve conflicting jurisdictions, while opponents expressed concern about grazing and access. Sens. Mark Udall has proposed designating 16 square miles of federal land as a monument and wilderness. The rugged and scenic canyon is near the Sawatch mountains, seven miles northwest of Salida and 100 miles southwest of Denver. Udall's bill discussed on Saturday would exclude the nearby Arkansas River from the monument and would allow existing livestock grazing to continue. It would also allow efforts to control wildfires, insects, noxious weeds and non-native plants.  AP

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