2011
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 11-050
       
       
       BY SENATOR(S) King S., Aguilar, Bacon, Boyd, Cadman, Carroll,
       Foster, Giron, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Jahn,
       Johnston, King K., Kopp, Lambert, Lundberg, Mitchell, Morse, Newell,
       Nicholson, Renfroe, Roberts, Scheffel, Schwartz, Spence, Steadman,
       Tochtrop, White, Williams S.;
       also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Scott and Bradford, Barker, Baumgardner,
       Brown, Conti, Coram, Court, Duran, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer,
       Gardner B., Hamner, Jones, Joshi, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr J., Labuda, Lee,
       Liston, Looper, Massey, Nikkel, Pace, Peniston, Priola, Riesberg, Ryden,
       Schafer S., Soper, Summers, Swerdfeger, Todd, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil,
       Wilson, McNulty.
       
       
          CONCERNING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
       COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT. 
       
       
          WHEREAS, The Colorado National Monument (Monument) is a unit
       of the National Park Service near the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita;
       and
       
          WHEREAS, The area was first explored by John Otto, a free spirit
       who arrived in the Grand Valley in 1906; and
       
          WHEREAS, Otto began building roads and trails on the plateau into
       the canyons, and area settlers in Grand Junction, Fruita, and Glade Park
       began to realize the recreational and tourism potential of the canyons in
       what is now the Monument; and
       
          WHEREAS, As word spread about Otto's work, the Chamber of
       Commerce of Grand Junction sent a delegation to investigate and, after
       the Chamber praised both Otto's work and the scenic beauty of the area,
       the local newspaper began lobbying to make it a national park, an effort
       that ultimately did not succeed; and
       
          WHEREAS, The area was officially established as the Colorado
       National Monument on May 24, 1911; and
       
          WHEREAS, Otto was hired as the first park ranger custodian for the
       Monument at a salary of $1 per month and, for the next 16 years, he
       continued building and maintaining trails while living in a tent in the
       park; and
       
          WHEREAS, Rim Rock Drive and many of the early visitor facilities
       at the Monument were designed by the National Park Service and
       constructed by the Public Works Administration and the Civilian
       Conservation Corps, and Rim Rock Drive and several of these facilities
       have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Monument consists of semi-desert land located high
       on the Colorado Plateau; and
       
          WHEREAS, Within the Monument's 32 square miles (20,500 acres)
       of land, spectacular canyons cut deep into sandstone and Precambrian
       rock formations, and towering monoliths stand in a vast plateau and
       canyon panorama amid sheer-walled, red rock canyons and colorful
       formations; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Monument is home to a wide range of desert
       wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, Peregrine falcons,
       jays, desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and coyotes; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Monument is an excellent place for a wide range of
       outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, wildlife watching, birding,
       rock climbing, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Monument's main road, Rim Rock Drive, and its
       trails offer magnificent views into six breathtaking canyons, including
       famous rock formations such as Independence Monument, the Kissing
       Couple, Praying Hands, Sentinel Spire, and Coke Ovens; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Monument is now recognized as a priceless asset to
       Grand Junction, Fruita,  and other area Western Slope communities, and
       its beauty should be preserved for future generations to enjoy; now,
       therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of
       the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
       
          That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly:
       
          (1)  Recognize and celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the
       establishment of the Colorado National Monument;
       
          (2)  Encourage Coloradans throughout the state to join the citizens of
       Grand Junction, Fruita, and the surrounding area in celebrating the
       Monument's 100th Anniversary on May 21, 2011, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
       at the Visitor Center; and
       
          (3)  Invite all Colorado citizens to visit the Colorado National
       Monument for other summer 2011 centennial events, including the Fourth
       of July Celebration and the August 28th Centennial Tour of the Valley
       and Walk Through Time.
       
                    Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau; National Park Service
       Director Jonathan B. Jarvis; Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S.
       Department of the Interior; Governor John Hickenlooper; Senators Mark
       Udall and Michael Bennet; Scott Tipton, U.S. Representative for
       Colorado's 3rd District; the members of the city councils of the cities of
       Grand Junction and Fruita; John Wessels, Intermountain Regional
       Director, National Park Service; and Michelle Wheatley, Chief of Visitor
       Services, and Joan Anzelmo, Superintendent, Colorado National
       Monument.
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Brandon C. Shaffer                     Frank McNulty
       PRESIDENT OF                    SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Cindi Markwell                        Marilyn Eddins
       SECRETARY OF                CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES