Legislation Designating Chimney Rock a National Monument Advances in United States Senate
Posted July 23, 2010 | Contact pr@nthp.org or 202-588-6141
Washington, D.C. (July 21, 2010)—The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) today brought Colorado's Chimney Rock one step closer to achieving National Monument status by voting to approve the Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010. The bill was introduced in May 2010 in the Senate by Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, and is strongly supported by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as a broad coalition of preservation and environmental organizations and the Archuleta County Commissioners. A companion bill was introduced in the House by Representative John T. Salazar.
"We are very grateful for the outstanding leadership of Senator Bennet and Congressman Salazar to help bring Chimney Rock the recognition, resources and protection it so clearly deserves" said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Chimney Rock is a sacred national treasure and a vital link to the ancestors of modern Pueblo Indians who occupied the site more than a thousand years ago. We applaud the delegation's support in preserving this nationally significant place."
Specifically, the legislation will designate 4,726 acres of land in the San Juan National Forest—including the existing Chimney Rock Archaeological Area—as a national monument. This will help to ensure that Chimney Rock's archeological, cultural, scientific, and scenic resources are adequately preserved and protected. Chimney Rock will remain a unit of the National Forest System, and Native American tribes will retain access to the sites for traditional and cultural uses.
Despite its relatively low profile, Chimney Rock attracts nearly 9,000 visitors per year. Designation of Chimney Rock would raise its public profile—attracting greater public attention and increasing heritage tourism to Archuleta County and the Four Corners area. Historically, national monument designations have also brought increased federal funding and resources, thereby providing for higher quality visitor facilities, more interpretation, better public education and improved site stabilization.
BACKGROUND ON CHIMNEY ROCK
The National Trust for Historic Preservation believes that Chimney Rock is perhaps the most important cultural site managed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Exhibiting many of the features that earned Chaco Canyon a World Heritage Listing, Chimney Rock was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Between A.D. 925 and 1125, the ancestors of modern Pueblo Indians occupied the surrounding lands, and the site remains of cultural significance to many descendant tribes. Hundreds of cultural elements surround Chimney Rock's soaring twin rock spires, including the Great House Pueblo. Chimney Rock is the most northeasterly and highest (7,600 feet) known Chacoan site. Every 18.6 years the moon, as seen from the Great House Pueblo, rises between the rock spires during an event known as the Northern Lunar Standstill.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately-funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. www.PreservationNation.org
