Canyons of the Ancients National Monument recently announced that it will start enforcing existing rules on public lands within the monument.
The move came from finalizing a “supplementary rule” derived from the 2010 Resource Management Plan that centers on public use, said Ray O’Neil, the monuments manager at Canyons of the Ancients. Enforcement will start on Dec. 16.
“The change is not in what we’re asking, but now we have the opportunity to enforce it,” O’Neil said.
Indeed, “the average user is unlikely to notice changes resulting from the establishment of this supplementary rule,” according to a recent notice in the Federal Register.
Within the 20-mile Sand Canyon trail system, for instance, hikers or bikers can now be cited for creating “social trails,” as that area is the most visited in the entire monument, O’Neil said.
Other things that are prohibited and subject to enforcement include gathering and cutting firewood, collecting “paleontological or geological resources” without a permit and recreational shooting “due to the potential for damage to archaeological sites.” However, shooting with a valid Colorado hunting license is permitted.
Geocaching is not allowed, nor are rock climbing, rappelling or bouldering outside of designated areas.
Last year, O’Neil said they set out to involve residents in this conversation and opened up public comment regarding the monument rules and regulations. Of the roughly 100 responses received, he said most were not from the area.
The most contended rule among the public involved camping within 300 feet of riparian areas. Over 100 people opposed that and suggested a buffer be put in place instead, the notice said.
“Most of the acreage is not conducive to camping” anyway, the notice said. So, camping is not allowed within 300 feet of riparian areas.
The roughly 174,000 acres of land that makes up Canyons of the Ancients was designated a national monument in 2000 by President Bill Clinton “to preserve the cultural and natural objects of the monument,” according to the notice.
Within the monument, there’s an estimated 30,000 cultural sites, making it “the highest known archaeological site density in the United States,” according to the Bureau of Land Management.
Of those 30,000 sites, 13 are public sites that visitor center employees point people toward, since they’ve often been hardened or have trails that withstand traffic and interpretive signs for learning, O’Neil said.
The notice reminded readers that “the BLM is responsible for protecting the objects for which the Monument was designated and for avoiding or minimizing impacts to them,” and enforcing these existing rules aims to do so.
