Browns Canyon is an outdoor recreation hub along the Arkansas River, a mountainous expanse of granite canyons and whitewater rapids that is home to wildlife including black bears, bighorn sheep, elk and mountain lions. This is truly one of Colorado’s most treasured landscapes.

The Wilderness Society worked for decades to get Browns Canyon the permanent protection it deserved, but it was not always easy. The cause enjoyed strong support across the state but repeatedly ran into congressional gridlock. When it was clear this would happen yet again, leaders in Colorado and The Wilderness Society members began to ask President Obama to protect Browns Canyon as a national monument using the Antiquities Act. A 2014 poll showed that 77 percent of Coloradans supported this course of action, and in  December, 700 people packed into a public meeting on Browns Canyon’s future, with most attendees supporting monument designation.

Finally, in July 2015, President Obama designated Browns Canyon as a national monument using the Antiquities Act. Browns Canyon’s new status helps safeguard the more than $55 million per year the area generates in economic activity for the local economy, as well as a wild iconic landscape that is simply invaluable.

http://wilderness.org/all-new-monuments-you-helped-us-protect-2015