An appearance by a representative for Colorado Senator Cory Gardner drew dozens of people to the Montezuma County Commission meeting on Monday.
Public-lands issues were the focus of much of the board’s far-ranging discussion with Ann McCoy Harold. Commissioner James Lambert brought up the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives presidents the power to create national monuments. Lambert said he believes the act should be done away with – a comment that drew a shocked murmur from the audience. Harold said she’s heard similar sentiments from other parties recently but said Gardner had not communicated anything specific about his position on the act. Commission Chair Larry Don Suckla voiced dissatisfaction with federal-lands agencies over several issues, including management of the Sage Hen area near McPhee Reservoir. He said the county wants a land transfer or other arrangement that would allow it to take over the area. Sage Hen was once a popular camping and recreation site but was closed by the Forest Service because of repeated incidents of vandalism. Harold said a land transfer would require a lengthy process, and urged the county to pursue a more informal arrangement with the agency instead. Suckla also expressed hope that the new administration will dispense with the Bureau of Land Management’s master leasing plan process for parts of Montezuma and La Plata counties.
- David Long contributed to this report
