Golden, Colorado - US Senator Mark Udall will host a second listening session in Jefferson County to hear community comments about his Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Area proposal.  The draft bill, based on more than a year's worth of community input, would cover 22,000 acres between Salida and Buena Vista on the Arkansas River, including 10,500 acres of new wilderness.

This event will take place SATURDAY, May 18:

9:30 a.m. MT

Udall will host a listening session to hear community comments about his Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Area proposal.
 Where: Foss Auditorium, American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., in Golden.

11:30 a.m. MT

Udall will host a media availability to discuss his Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Area proposal and his community meeting.
 Where: Foss Auditorium, American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., in Golden.

"I am proposing a new national monument for Browns Canyon so that future generations of Coloradans can enjoy the unique mix of exciting whitewater and wilderness so close to Colorado's Front Range.  Thanks to community input, this proposal will preserve Browns Canyon, create jobs, support our economy and protect our incredible quality of life," Udall said.  "I want to further engage the community to improve this proposal, so we can preserve this remarkable landscape and boost the local economies near this treasured part of Colorado."

Under Udall's draft proposal, the Browns Canyon National Monument will continue to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service in cooperation with the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife.  Udall's proposal maintains existing uses, including river running, hunting and angling, grazing, and motorized access on all designated roads in the area.  The proposal also requires that the agencies develop a coordinated management plan for managing visitor use and resources.

Community members unable to attend this meeting can submit comments via www.markudall.senate.gov/brownscanyon. This meeting is the second of two public meetings that Udall is holding regarding the proposal.  The first was on April 13 in Nathrop.