Misinformation over a request to name the eastern peak of Mount Sopris after John Denver is spreading rapidly, partly because of an extremely vocal minority opposition, the initiative’s organizer said Sunday.
J.P. McDaniel of Littleton, who is spearheading an international petition to ask the U.S. Board of Geographical Names to consider the proposal, said ignorance about Denver and what he stood for is the driving force behind the movement to kill the effort. Some opponents have even prematurely claimed victory, which is odd given that the board has yet to receive the proposal. McDaniel said she plans to mail the petition and related paperwork to the federal board within the next two weeks.
“The stuff people are saying is starting to get a bit ridiculous,” she said. “The proposal hasn’t even been submitted yet. The board hasn’t denied it because they haven’t even received it yet.”
A recent story from the Grand Junction Sentinel quoted the board’s executive secretary as citing the difficulty of naming a natural feature or landmark within a federal wilderness area because it might detract from the wilderness experience. The unnamed twin summits of Mount Sopris stand 12,965 feet above sea level in northwest Pitkin County inside the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area.
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