President Obama will declare Browns Canyon a national monument Thursday, parceling off the 22,000 acres along the Arkansas River in Chaffee County, Colo.
The White House confirmed the forthcoming announcement to the Washington Examiner. The move was applauded by environmental groups who have fought for the designation of the site, which is popular among fishermen and rafters.
“Browns Canyon is widely revered for its rafting, fishing, hunting, hiking, wildlife watching, and rugged backcountry,” said Collin O’Mara, chief executive with the National Wildlife Federation. “This is why folks from all walks of life, lawmakers from both parties, and conservation leaders across Colorado, including our state affiliate the Colorado Wildlife Federation, have worked for more than two decades to protect it.”
Obama will use the Antiquities Act to designate the monument. He’ll also designate two other areas: the Pullman Historic Site in Illinois, where the nation’s first black union was formed, and Honouliuli Internment Camp in Hawaii, the country’s largest and longest-used World War II internment camp.
Obama has used the Antiquities Act to set aside more acreage as monuments than any other president. That’s earned him praise from environmental groups but scorn from conservatives who call the actions an example of White House overreach.
Colorado Democrats Sen. Michael Bennet, Gov. John Hickenlooper and former Sen. Mark Udall had asked Obama to use the Antiquities Act to declare Browns Canyon a national monument, as Udall’s legislation to establish the site got stuck in Congress last year. The land is currently managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
