Bennet joins effort to preserve Browns Canyon as national monument

Senator Michael Bennet became a cosponsor Friday of S.1794, The Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Act of 2013, to protect Browns Canyon region as an invaluable economic and natural resource for Chaffee County and the state. The bill, originally introduced by Colorado U.S. Senator Mark Udall in December, will designate 22,000 acres along the Arkansas River as a national monument, preserving the wilderness area and ensuring recreational access for years to come. The Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Act of 2013 contains several additional provisions, including designating 10,500 acres of new wilderness land within the national monument, preserving existing public access to the monument area, and protecting existing uses such as fishing, hunting, grazing and motorized use. Following the designation of the monument, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service will work with the community to develop a management plan...more