President Barack Obama walks from Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House Thursday.DENVER – President Barack Obama’s administration will create a national monument at a dramatic rock formation in southwestern Colorado that is sacred to the Southern Ute tribe, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The move to preserve 4,726 acres of high desert at Chimney Rock will be announced Friday. The Denver Post first reported the decision, which was confirmed by Senator Michael Bennet’s office.
The monument will be the third created by the Obama administration.
The Republican congressman who represents the area, Scott Tipton, sponsored a bill urging the designation that passed the House of Representatives in May. Bennet proposed a similar bill that never made it through the Senate.
“Making Chimney Rock a national monument will be an extraordinary boost for the region by preserving and protecting the site and driving tourism, which would draw more visitors and bring more dollars into the local, regional and state economies,” Bennet said in a statement.