Salida, Colorado -

SATURDAY, December 6, 2014, senior officials from the Obama Administration will join U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and senior state officials to hear from the public about what they want for the future of Browns Canyon and whether it merits designation as a national monument as the senators have proposed. Attendees will include U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director Steve Ellis. Members of the public are invited to attend and publically state their opinion. The public comment session's format will depend on the number of attendees.

While its a tough time of year to travel, WE MUST show public support for this designation.

Please attend and speak on behalf of Browns Canyon National Monument!

The meeting follows a letter Udall and Bennet sent last week urging the president to visit Chaffee County and start a public and transparent process to explore how best to protect Browns Canyon for future generations. The letter cited the long history of bipartisan support for protecting Browns Canyon, including the Colorado congressional delegation's bipartisan work nearly a decade ago. Udall recently led a more than 18-month public outreach process to develop the most recent proposal to protect Browns Canyon as a national monument.

A broad coalition of community leaders, Colorado businesses, sportsmen and conservationists supports protecting Browns Canyon as a national monument based on Udall's community-based bill, S.1794, which preserves this remarkable landscape while continuing current access and use of the area.

American Whitewater has worked with Udall to help craft the Browns Canyon proposal, and we encourage members from the area to attend the public meeting and show support for designation. 

The National Monument and Wilderness does not impact permits for commercial and private boating on the Arkansas River. Under Udall's bill, the River will continue to be managed, as it is today, by the State Park's Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area.

The designation will address the threats of gold mining in the river corridor, preventing future claims that will impact water quality and the wilderness character of the canyon.

The designation will set aside the landscape around Browns Canyon as it is today, for future generations to enjoy.  It is one of the last realtively un-touched sections of the Arkansas River, and deserves to be protected.

This event will take place Saturday, December 6:
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. MT
The SteamPlant Theater, 220 W. Sackett Ave. in Salida

American Whitewater's staff are available to help you prepare for this important meeting, assist with your comments, or anwser any questions. Please contact Nathan Fey