While many Americans are familiar with Mesa Verde National Park, they may not know much about Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, not far west of Mesa Verde.
Canyons of the Ancients is home to an astonishing array of archeological sites – more than 100 sites per square mile in some areas – including Ancestral Puebloan ruins that date back to 750 BC.
The area’s “National Monument” designation ensures that this special place is safeguarded for future generations as part of a nationwide collection of federally protected public lands in Colorado and other Western states known as the National Landscape Conservation System, or NLCS.
NLCS is made up of the “crown jewels” – National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Scenic Trails, Historic Sites and Wilderness Areas – in the vast sweep of land overseen by the federal Bureau of Land Management.
Established administratively by then-Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, NLCS acknowledges the importance of preserving historic sites in the context of their unique and often fragile natural surroundings.
Equally important, it recognizes that America’s story is told not only at world-famous historic sites such as Independence Hall and the Alamo; it’s also told at lesser-known places such as Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona, Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada, and, of course, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument – all of which are components of the National Landscape Conservation System.
Colorado is fortunate to be home to some of the NLCS’s most impressive scenic areas including the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area along the Colorado River east of Grand Junction.
The Conservation System also includes the 14,048 ft. Handies Peak, near Lake City, which is a Wilderness Study Area, and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
Here’s the bad news: In spite of NLCS’s unquestionable importance, this visionary land protection system currently has no permanent status in legislation.
With its 111th session just underway, Congress has a chance to rectify this alarming situation by passing the National Landscape Conservation System Permanence Act.
Because Colorado is home to an impressive array of historically and ecologically significant places that are included within the NLCS, this legislation is of profound importance to the state. Coloradans and all Americans stand to benefit from this legislation for generations to come.
Fortunately, NLCS has a staunch friend in U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, President-elect Obama’s choice to be the next Secretary of Interior.
Sen. Salazar was a champion and cosponsor of legislation to permanently establish the National Landscape Conservation System. He also sponsored a bill to establish the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area in western Colorado, which would become part of the National Landscape Conservation System.
Concerned citizens should urge their congressional representatives to act quickly to ensure that America’s lesser-known, priceless and fragile treasures get the protection they need and deserve.
With quick Congressional action to give NLCS permanent legislative status, and with a knowledgeable supporter overseeing the system at the Interior Department, places like Canyons of the Ancients can have a bright future. That’s good news for all of us.
Richard Moe is president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a founding board member of the National Conservation System Foundation. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
