U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse is trying to sort out land issues in Rocky Mountain National Park with acts of Congress, including a former astronaut's efforts to donate 40 acres to it.
Vance D. Brand, an 89-year-old who was born and raised in Longmont, was the command module pilot for the first U.S.-Soviet joint spaceflight in 1975 and commanded three space shuttle missions.
The Senate version of the bill is carried by Republican Cory Gardner of Yuma.
Brand's property is located on the eastern boundary of the park and is expected to provide recreational access and provide a scenic buffer between private lands and three popular trails — Estes Cone, Storm Pass and Eugenia Mine Trails — at about 9,000 feet in elevation.
Neguse and Brand testified to the House Natural Resources Committee this week.
Brand told the committee about growing up in the area, operating the elevator at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and busing tables at downtown restaurants.
"On our days off, my friends and I enjoyed exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, making trips that usually consisted of long trail hikes and non-professional mountain climbing," said the Coloradan who's been to space and back. "I climbed Longs Peak, the highest mountain in the park, over a dozen times."
"Rocky Mountain National Park gave me a lot of enjoyment and great experiences, which I'll always remember."
The park is one of the nation's most popular publicly held attractions with more than 4.5 million visitors annually.
You can read the Rocky Mountain National Park Boundary Modification Act, concerning Brand's proposed donation, by clicking here.
Separately, Neguse's office said Thursday he is trying to resolve a longstanding issue over a local family’s cabin that was mistakenly added to the park when the federal government added a larger surrounding tract in 1972. The bill is called the Rocky Mountain Ownership Correction Act. You can read it by clicking here.
The bill has been pending in the House, however, since at least 2010, when then-Rep. Betsy Markey tried to pass it.
“Both of these bills are common-sense locally-driven requests to authorize boundary adjustments to Rocky Mountain National Park,” Neguse said in a statement Thursday. “Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the country, providing significant outdoor recreation and economic opportunities for Coloradans and both of these bills will enhance the park for future generations to enjoy. I am proud to see forward momentum on our efforts which in part will honor the desire of former Astronaut Vance D. Brand to convey 40 acres of land into the treasured Rocky Mountain National Park landscape and was honored to hear testimony from him in support of the bill.”
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Rep. Joe Neguse pushes to accept astronaut's donation to RMNP - coloradopolitics.com
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