Muddying The Waters Over Redesignating Colorado National Monument As A National Park

Discussions in western Colorado to have Colorado National Monument redesignated as a "national park" have spawned a proposal, in the form of draft Senate legislation, that has drawn concerns from the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. Foremost, the document calls for creation of a "park advisory committee" that would advise the Interior secretary on how the renamed park would be managed. Among the members proposed to be on this committee would be a representative from the Western Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association. "The Secretary shall from time to time, but not less than annually, meet and consult with the Committee on policies and specific matters relating to the planning, administration, and development of the Park, including development of new policies and planning relating to the management of the Park," the document states. In a letter sent to U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, and U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colorado, on Friday, the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees questioned the construction of that document. The Coalition does not oppose redesignation of Colorado National Monument, writing that its nearly 1,000 members believe "that Colorado National Monument’s extraordinary resources and experiences are worthy of the additional national and international status that comes with the designation 'national park.'" However, the retirees noted that the draft document being circulated "omits essential provisions that would assure preservation and enjoyment of the park’s resources and values, while including other provisions that would undermine long-term management and protection and create more of a local park than a new unit of the National Park System."...more