If Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., gets his
way, he will leave behind a legacy.
A bill moving
rapidly through the U.S. Senate would redesignate the Black Canyon
of the Gunnison National Monument as a national park and expand its
current 20,766 acres to 30,000. Campbell, the bill’s sponsor, has
been pursuing this legislation for several years, but has failed in
every attempt. Now, with growing national and local support,
chances of its passage are good.
Many
environmentalists oppose the bill because of its ambiguous language
about hunting, grazing and off-road vehicle use. These activities
would continue in some areas of the new national park and within
the adjacent 57,000-acre National Conservation Area to be managed
by the Bureau of Land Management. Environmentalists say these uses
are incompatible with the mandate of the national park
system.
“I oppose any national park legislation
which allows grazing,” says David Orr of the Sierra Club. “It
dilutes the preservationist orientation of our national park
system.” Ironically, some ranchers also oppose the park measure
because they fear their grazing allotments would expire if the bill
passes.
Allan Belt of the Montrose BLM office
agrees that the bill doesn’t adequately address uses like grazing
and motorized recreation, but he says that a management plan – to
be completed within four years of the bill’s passage – will deal
with those issues fully.
Locals have raised
concerns about increased traffic, potential development and
pressure on agricultural lands that may result from national park
status. But many local governments, chambers of commerce, and
citizens’ groups endorse the bill, confident that these problems
will be minor in comparison to the economic boost the park would
give the area.
Some are more skeptical, fearing a
degradation of the rural qualities of the area. Says Gunnison
County resident Frank Culbertson, “There’s already enough people
without it being on everyone’s list of “must do” national parks.”
* Catherine
Lutz
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Black Canyon National Park?.
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