TheWeekInCongress.com
Week Ending July 29, 2005
S 55 A bill to adjust the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park in the State of Colorado
BRIEF
The bill exchanges 70 acres of Federal Land in the Rocky Mountain National Park for 8 acres of privately owned land. The privately owned land is within the park boundaries and is known as the MacGregor Ranch.
As rock climbing grew in popularity over the past two decades so did a prime and favored climbing challenge called the Twin Owls trailhead. Because of the location of the Twin Owls, hikers and climbers have used a private access road to get to the site and caused traffic and parking problems for the MacGregor Ranch.
After some public input and an environmental study the solution arrived at was to move the Twin Owls parking area to the east end of the ranch and away from the homestead itself. The move requires a new access road and new parking.
For the National Park Service to enforce its rules and maintain jurisdiction the new road and parking must be inside the park boundaries. The solution is that MacGregor conveys the 6 acres the NPS needs and gets 70 acres of grazing land in return. The bill authorizes the deal.
Sponsor: Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO)
Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent (July 27, 2005) Passed House by voice vote October 18, 2005. Signed into law as PL 109-93 October 26, 2005.
Cost to the taxpayers: “CBO estimates the cost of finalizing the land transfer and construction of facilities to be $1 million over two years.”
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Section 1 entitles the bill the `Rio Grande Natural Area Act'.
Section 2 provides definitions used in the bill.
Section 3 provides for the establishment of the Rio Grande Natural Area, defines its boundaries as including the river from the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge to the Colorado-New Mexico State line and extending 1/4 mile on either side of the river.
Section 4 establishes the Rio Grande Natural Area Commission, which is to be made up of 9
members, consisting of 2 officials of the Department of the Interior, 2 officials of the State of Colorado, 1 representative of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, and 4 individuals representing the general public. The section also provides guidance on how the Commission will operate.
Section 5 establishes the powers and duties of the Commission.
Section 6 provides guidance on the preparation of management plans, one for the non-Federal lands within the Natural Area, prepared by the Commission, and one for the Federal lands within the Natural Area, prepared by the Secretary of the Interior. The section directs that the Secretary and the Commission are to cooperate to ensure that the two plans are consistent.
Section 7 provides self-explanatory direction for the administration of the Natural Area. Paragraph 7(a)(2)(D) prohibits the construction of water storage facilities in the Natural Area. This paragraph is not intended to preclude the continuing use and operation, repair, rehabilitation, expansion, or new construction of water supply facilities, water or wastewater treatment facilities, stormwater facilities, public utilities, or common carriers along the Rio Grande River and its tributaries upstream of the Natural Area.
Section 8 describes the effects on water rights, changes to stream flow, and private lands.
Section 9 authorizes appropriation of funds.
Section 10 directs the termination of the Commission after a period of 10 years.