The Durango Herald - Chimney Rock's Status Quest Advances

News Article

By Tamar Hallerman

The Chimney Rock Archaeological Area is one step closer to gaining national monument status.

The Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010 unanimously passed the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.

Sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, the legislation protects and restores more than 4,700 acres surrounding the archaeological area, while also boosting tourism. If passed by both houses of Congress, the bill will give the Secretary of Agriculture the power to establish a management plan for the monument.

"We're thrilled," said Barbara Pahl, the regional director for the mountains/plains office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the non-profit organization that helped spearhead the effort. "We hope raising (Chimney Rock's) stature by having it designated a national monument will help attract additional resources from the federal government to help protect the site."

The bill will green-light the building of a visitor's center on site, while also allowing the recreational use of mountain bikes and vehicles. Native American tribes will retain access to the site for traditional uses.

While the bill has cleared a key procedural hurdle, it must now wait to be packaged together with several dozen other public-lands bills to be eligible for consideration by the full Senate. This should happen sometime this fall after the August recess, said Energy and Natural Resources Committee spokesman Bill Wicker.

Across the Capitol, the House version of the bill appears to be stalled in committee. After Salazar introduced the legislation in early May, the bill has not moved since being referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. No hearings have been scheduled to date.

Sites designated as national monuments tend to attract more resources than standard public lands, Pahl said. But there is also greater significance, she said.

"Right now making (Chimney Rock) a national monument really makes it very clear that Chimney Rock is not just important to the local story or even the story of the Four Corners part of the country, but this is part of our national heritage," she said. "And it really deserves that kind of recognition."

Situated near Pagosa Springs in the San Juan National Forest, Chimney Rock is famous for its two asymmetrical rock spires. The site was inhabited a millennium ago by the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians and still holds cultural significance for its descendent tribes. Chimney Rock is also known for its major lunar standstills - which occur every 18½ years - when the moon rises between the two spires. The national historic site is also, according to researchers, the highest-known Chacoan site.

"Chimney Rock lacks a designation equal to its historically and culturally significant stature," Bennet said in a statement after the measure passed. "We will continue to move this bill forward, providing much-needed protection - and much-deserved recognition - for Chimney Rock that will preserve this archaeological treasure for the enjoyment of generations to come."

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