Browns Canyon Declared a National Monument
Employing the Antiquities Act, President Obama named Browns Canyon a national monument on Feb. 19.
The designation provides new layers of federal protection to the nearly 21,000 acres east of the Arkansas River in Chaffee County.
Legislative attempts to preserve the area failed to advance through Congress, and Obama was urged by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Gov. John Hickenlooper to use the Antiquities Act for the designation. The Act allows the president to set aside federal lands for protection without congressional approval.
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn was predictably “outraged” by the president’s action due to his opposition to the national monument designation dating back to 2006, when the congressman was first running for the seat vacated by his predecessor Joel Hefley, who first introduced the legislation to protect Browns.
Along with Browns, Obama also declared sites in Illinois and Hawaii to become national monuments.
The Antiquities Act was first sponsored by Republican Congressman John F. Lacey of Iowa and signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. Since that time, it has been used to designate more than 130 national monuments by 16 presidents from both parties, including George W. Bush.
Judges Toss Christo Lawsuit
A unanimous decision by three presiding Colorado Court of Appeals judges have upheld, for the second time, an agreement between Colorado State Parks and the artist Christo for his Over the River project.
An opposition group, ROAR, challenged the agreement in federal court in 2013, claiming that Colorado State Parks — now Colorado Parks and Wildlife — failed to follow its own regulations in issuing a special permit for the proposed fabric installation over the Arkansas River. The court agreed with the premise of the argument but cited the 13 years of intensive study by CPW in their decision.
The only remaining legal hurdle facing the art project is in the U.S. Court of Appeals.
State Sues Feds Over
Sage Grouse Listing
The state of Colorado filed a lawsuit on Feb. 12 against federal officials over the “threatened” designation given the Gunnison sage grouse.
Last November, the Obama administration declared the bird as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the lawsuit cites two alleged violations of the ESA – the listing designation and improper designation of the habitat -– and an alleged violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.
BV Man Dies From Hantavirus
A 52-year-old Chaffee County man died from hantavirus on Jan. 11 after developing symptoms only three days previous.
Chris Banning of Buena Vista was one of only fifty cases of hantavirus reported in Colorado between 2003 and 2013. The disease is contracted through exposure to urine, droppings and saliva from infected rodents.
Tea Party Rag Gets Legals
For the first time since 1883, the Wet Mountain Tribune in Westcliffe will not be publishing the county’s legal notices. On Jan. 13, county commissioners Lynn Attebery and Kit Shy, both Republicans, voted to place the legals in the local Tea Party publication, the Sentinel.
Attebery explained his vote by claiming that he wanted to “support small business in the valley.”
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Shorts …
• Guffey, Colorado has been listed as the number two of six hidden destinations to visit in the U.S. by the AARP. The town is now bracing for an onslaught of developers, tourists and retired persons.
• Jim Bishop, who for 40 years has been hand-building a castle near Wetmore, has been diagnosed with cancer and is taking a break from the project. He is currently undergoing treatment.
• The city of Salida has received a grant for $60,000 from the Colorado State Historical Fund for the restoration of a 1911 Kissel fire truck. The truck was the first motorized truck owned by the city and was in service from 1912 to 1942.
• Current Leadville Mayor Jaime Stuever, who is not seeking another term, has proposed the city triple the salary for his mayoral successors – from $10,000 to $30,000. The council voted to approve the increase, pending a second reading on March 3.
• A former Walsenburg police officer was sentenced to five years in federal prison for helping her husband who was in possession of heroin with intent to distribute. “She’s the embodiment of corruption,” said U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore of the former officer, Gloria Suazo.
• Police in Florence were called on a 7:27 a.m. complaint of a male dancing and singing on the edge of a canal. Police were unable to locate the man.
• There are now two announced candidates for the Chaffee County Commissioner’s District 1 seat, which will be up for grabs in 2015 – Keith Baker, a Democrat, and Brett Mitchell, a Republican. Both men live in Buena Vista.
“Notable Quotes”
“Do you really want to drive off the wildlife and clutter the view, which is the value of why people come here?” – Dave Holt, who owns property adjacent to the proposed Caballo Ranchero subdivision near Mount Princeton Hot Springs. – The Chaffee County Times, Feb. 12, 2015.
“There’s no reason to complain unless you’re a whiney liberal.” – Rosita resident Bill Bailey at a special meeting held in Custer County over the commissioners’ decision to award county legal announcements to the local Tea Party newsletter. – The Wet Mountain Tribune, Feb. 5, 2015
“This is not over by a long shot. We are in this for the long haul, and we are in this to stop the project from happening. It’s not over.” – ROAR spokesperson Joan Anselmo, regarding a decision by the Colorado Court of Appeals in favor of the artist Christo for his Over the River project. – The Mountain Mail, Feb. 13, 2015
“Guns are something you deal with in Leadville. I don’t want it to be an exclusive event and the Trail 100 just owns this town that week” – Lake County Public Works Director Brad Palmer, responding to concerns about scheduling an annual bike race and a rodeo balloon race in the same weekend. – Leadville Herald-Democrat, Feb. 12, 2015
