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Letter to the Editor: The national monument for Camp Hale, Tenmile range benefits us all

Marge Schweri
Silverthorne

I am writing to publicly thank President Joe Biden for creating the Camp Hale-Tenmile Range national monument on Oct. 12, 2022. This would not have come about without the dogged and persistent efforts of many supporters over more than a decade. Included among them are Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Rep. Joe Neguse, Gov. Jared Polis, the Eagle and Summit County commissioners, veterans and veterans’ organizations, local and outdoor industry businesses, and conservation and recreation groups. 

Designation of these areas as a national monument benefits us all.

It will:



• preserve the history of Camp Hale, where the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division trained for mountain warfare in World War II.
• protect culturally significant sites and practices of the Ute tribes, who originally utilized this land. They will have unfettered access to existing burial grounds, conduct ceremonies, gather plants, hunt, and fish on what were their native lands
• preserve and protect this land for present and future recreationists.
• enhance the local economy by virtue of increased visitation that supports service businesses and their employees.
• protect wildlife habitat and migration corridors as well as headwaters of the Colorado River. 

With the preservation of this area assured, the community can turn its attention to formulating a management plan with the White River National Forest that will accommodate the goals of the diverse stakeholders in the monument. It is important that our local communities have input into this planning, which will take several years. If you want to have your voice heard, stay tuned for solicitation of citizen input as the plan development proceeds.


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