Browns Canyon National Monument is a national monument in
Chaffee County, Colorado
Chaffee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,476. The county seat is Salida, Colorado, Salida.
History
Chaffee County has a confusing origin. Between ...
, that was designated as such by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
under the
Antiquities Act
The Antiquities Act of 1906 (, , ) is an act that was passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt on June 8, 1906. This law gives the president of the United States the authority to, by presidential proclam ...
on February 19, 2015.
The site will be centered along the
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
between
Buena Vista and
Salida.
Browns Canyon is the most popular destination for
whitewater rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
in the country, and is also known for its fishing and hiking.
The monument will provide habitat protection for
bighorn sheep
The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of Ovis, sheep native to North America. It is named for its large Horn (anatomy), horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates th ...
,
peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...
s,
elk
The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. ...
, and
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...
s.
Designation of the monument was requested by numerous Colorado lawmakers, including
Senators Michael Bennet
Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held sinc ...
and
Mark Udall
Mark Emery Udall ( ; born July 18, 1950) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, repres ...
,
Representative Joel Hefley
Joel Maurice Hefley (born April 18, 1935) is an American Republican politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 5th Congressional District of Colorado from 1987 to 2007. His wife, Lynn Hefl ...
and Governor
John Hickenlooper
John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. ( ; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician, geologist, and businessman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A mem ...
.
It was opposed by Representatives
Ken Buck
Kenneth Robert Buck (born February 16, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who represented Colorado's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 until his resignation in 2024. Buck served as chair ...
and
Doug Lamborn
Douglas Lawrence Lamborn (born May 24, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party. His district was based in Colorado Springs.
On January 5, ...
, who objected to the president's use of
executive action in declaring the monument.
Lamborn also objected to the effect that the monument's creation would have on
grazing
In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...
,
mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...
and
water rights
Water right in water law is the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious. In o ...
; in response, the White House stated that the designation would honor "valid and existing rights, but withdraws the area from future mineral leasing."
The monument is run jointly by the
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
and
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...
.
History
In 1972, the Forest Service completed the original Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE I), identifying
Inventoried roadless areas. RARE I determined that all U.S. Forest Service lands within Browns Canyon and surrounding areas, tens of thousands of acres, were suitable to be designated as wilderness.
In 1976, the BLM, as directed by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, proposed protection of Browns Canyon for primitive values, initiating a review for wilderness designation.
In 1979, the Forest Service completed the RARE II process, identifying 23,500 acres of Forest Service land near Browns Canyon as roadless.
Also in 1979, the BLM identified 6,614 acres in and around Browns Canyon as possessing wilderness characteristics.
The BLM officially designated 7,451 acres as a
wilderness study area in 1993.
The
Colorado Wilderness Act of 1991, introduced by Representatives
Wayne Allard
Alan Wayne Allard (born December 2, 1943) is an American veterinarian and politician who served as a United States Representative (1991–1997) and United States Senator (1997–2009) from Colorado, as well as previously a Colorado State Senator ...
and
Dan Schaefer, would have named hundreds of thousands of acres in the state as wilderness, including the Browns Canyon area, but the bill never passed beyond the committee stage.
In 2005, Joel Hefley and six other Colorado lawmakers introduced the Browns Canyon Wilderness Act; a companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Wayne Allard. The legislation failed due to the influence of the
National Rifle Association of America
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
, which claimed that a wilderness designation would limit hunting in Browns Canyon.
An attempt to reintroduce the Act by Senator
Ken Salazar
Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as United States ambassador to Mexico from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administ ...
once again failed to clear its committee.
Mark Udall and Michael Bennet attempted to introduce legislation designating the canyon as a national monument in 2013,
but it, too, failed.
Udall's bill also contained over of wilderness protections,
which are not included in the proclamation, as such protections may only be enacted by Congress.
The monument as designated otherwise substantially follows the acreage designated in the bill.
See also
*
Bibliography of Colorado
This is a bibliography of the U.S. State of Colorado.
__TOC__
General history
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*Sibley, George. ''Water Wranglers - The 75-Year History of the Colorado River District: A Story About the Embattled Co ...
*
Geography of Colorado
The geography of the U.S. State of Colorado is diverse, encompassing rugged mountainous terrain, vast plains, desert lands, desert canyons, and mesas. Colorado is a landlocked U.S. state. In 1861, the United States Congress defined the boun ...
*
History of Colorado
The region that is today the U.S. state of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans and their Paleoamerican ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly more than 37,000 years. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major mi ...
*
Index of Colorado-related articles
This is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. State of Colorado.
0–9
* .co.us – Internet second-level domain for the State of Colorado
* 4 Corners
** 4 Corners Monument
* 6th Principal Meridian
* 10-mile Range
* 10 ...
*
List of Colorado-related lists
The following two master lists include links to lists related to the United States, U.S. Colorado, State of Colorado.
#Colorado-related lists by topic
#Alphabetical list of Colorado-related lists
Colorado-related lists by topic General lists
*Bib ...
*
List of national monuments of the United States
The United States has 138 protected areas known as national monuments. The president of the United States can establish a national monument by presidential proclamation, and the United States Congress can do so by legislation. The president's a ...
*
Outline of Colorado
The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Colorado:
Colorado – List of U.S. states and territories by population#State and territory rankings, 22nd most populous, the Lis ...
References
External links
Bureau of Land Management.gov: official Browns Canyon National Monument websiteU.S. Forest Service.gov: official Browns Canyon National Monument website
Friends of Browns CanyonPike & San Isabel National Forests, and Cimarron & Comanche National Grasslands — HomepageWhitehouse.gov: Presidential proclamation establishing Browns Canyon National Monument
"Browns Canyon National Monument recognized as stargazing destination with new Dark Sky Park certification"
DarkSky International
DarkSky International, formerly the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), is a United States–based nonprofit organization incorporated in 1988 by founders David Crawford, a professional astronomer, and Tim Hunter, a physician and amateur ...
(December 16, 2024)
{{authority control
National monuments in Colorado
Bureau of Land Management national monuments
United States Forest Service national monuments
Arkansas River
San Isabel National Forest
Bureau of Land Management areas in Colorado
Protected areas of Chaffee County, Colorado
2015 establishments in Colorado
Protected areas established in 2015
National monuments designated by Barack Obama