Designation comes after years of support from diverse stakeholders
Denver, CO (October 12, 2022) – A diverse coalition of veterans, elected officials, business owners, hunters and anglers, conservationists, and other community members are applauding President Joe Biden for designating the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in the heart of Colorado’s ski country today. The national monument honors our nation’s veterans and Colorado’s contribution to our military legacy by protecting Camp Hale, where the 10th Mountain Division trained during World War II. Returning soldiers founded Colorado’s world-renowned ski industry and started the Centennial state on the path to becoming a leader in harnessing the economic power of the outdoor recreation economy.
“Our public lands and waters located within the CORE Act, including Colorado’s Camp Hale and the surrounding areas once used as training grounds, define our country, and it is what I fought for and am still fighting to defend,” said Brad Noone, a 10th Mountain Division combat veteran who served in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2007. “Much of the nation’s—and specifically Colorado’s—ski industry stemmed from World War II veterans who were trained there. Taking skills learned on public lands and giving them back to the general public in a continued service that lives on through today. President Biden’s designation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument honors generations of veterans.”
It was also announced that the Biden administration would provide protections for the Thompson Divide with a 20-year administrative mineral withdrawal. The Thompson Divide, Camp Hale, and the Continental Divide – in addition to protections for the San Juan Mountains and Curecanti National Recreation Area – are part of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act, which has been decades in the making. The legislation has passed the House several times but is stalled in the Senate. The CORE Act’s champions –Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Representative Joe Neguse, and Governor Jared Polis– asked the Biden administration to take executive action to protect areas in this locally-supported legislation until Congress can pass the full bill.
Thompson Divide area ranchers, Judy Fox-Perry and William Perry, added, “As ranchers whose livelihood depends on public lands in the Thompson Divide, we are very excited to see President Biden recognize the importance of this incredible landscape. For over a decade, local communities in and around the Thompson Divide have collaborated to fight against oil and gas development because we understand the tremendous value this landscape holds for our agricultural and rural economies and wildlife habitat. We are glad that the President understands this, and we’ll continue our efforts to protect this extraordinary place in every way we can.”
Designating the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument marks President Biden’s first new national monument under the Antiquities Act. The Antiquities Act is an important conservation and preservation tool used by 18 presidents since it was first signed into law in 1906. The Antiquities Act has been an invaluable tool the president can use to protect many iconic and treasured public lands and waters. This includes other sites in Colorado, such as Chimney Rock and Browns Canyon, and across the nation, including Stonewall and Pullman.
“For time immemorial, the Continental Divide has been a place for people to connect, explore, and live in one the most vibrant, natural landscapes on the continent. The action taken by President Biden today will ensure that the stories and cultures of this land will be preserved for the next generation to learn from and continue to build Colorado’s legacy as a leader in the stewardship of these special places. Future management of Camp Hale and the Tenmile Range has the potential to act as a model for what community-led, cooperative stewardship of a National Monument looks like under the Biden Administration, and we could not be more excited to engage in that shared work alongside great partners like Senator Bennet and other Colorado leaders,” added Teresa Martinez, the executive director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
Eighty-six percent of Coloradans support the President taking executive action by designating new national monuments to protect the lands in the CORE Act. This includes overwhelming majorities of Democrats (92%), Independents (83%), and Republicans (84%). Further, the 2022 Colorado College State of the Rockies poll found 86% of Coloradans supported creating new protected public lands including national monuments.
“We are thrilled with the new monument designation for Camp Hale-Continental Divide in Eagle County,” said Eagle County Commissioner, Kathy Chandler-Henry. “This monument will honor the service of our veterans from the 10th Mountain Division who trained at Camp Hale and the Tenmile Range, served our nation with distinction in World War II and returned home to help found Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy. This national historic landscape will receive the protections it deserves through this monument designation, assuring it will be enjoyed and serve as a place of respect for generations to come.”
Protected public lands are an important part of Colorado’s identity and a driver of the state’s tourism and outdoor recreation economy. The Bureau of Economic Analysis found that in 2020, outdoor recreation contributed $9.6 billion to Colorado’s economy. The ski industry alone generates $4.8 billion in annual economic output and supports more than 46,000 jobs.
Auden Schendler, the vice president of sustainability at Aspen Ski Company added, “Aspen Ski Area was founded by 10th Mountain Division veterans who trained at Camp Hale and fought in World War II. President Biden’s designation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument is important to protecting this place that was the birthplace for Colorado’s ski industry that we are lucky to be a part of today. We owe these veterans everything.”
As Coloradans celebrate the national monument designation, they look forward to working with their elected officials and Congress to protect all of the places within the CORE Act and stand with other communities across the country who are asking President Biden to protect the places that tell their unique stories.