Obama to declare Colorado canyon a national monument

President Obama will designate Browns Canyon in Colorado as a national monument, the White House said on Wednesday.

The monument will protect 21,000 acres of land in Chaffee County in the upper section of Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley, a White House official said.

{mosads}Local officials and congressional members have pushed for decades to have the area, which includes granite cliffs, rock outcroppings and diverse wildlife, marked for preservation.

The designation will also protect a critical watershed and honor existing grazing rights. 

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) praised the move by Obama, and credited former Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) for helping achieve the designation.

“Coloradans have been very clear they wanted this protection, along with assurances that existing uses will be protected. We’re glad the administration heard those voices and provided those assurances,” Bennet said. 

Greens cheered the declaration as well.

“We applaud President Obama for taking steps to expand our nation’s outdoor heritage by ensuring our public lands and national monuments tell the full story of the country’s rich cultural and natural history,” said Michael Brune, director of the Sierra Club.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported Obama will also designate a former interment camp for Japanese-Americans in Hawaii as a national monument.