Joe Neguse to Testify on His Bills to Expand Rocky Mountain National Park at Natural Resources Committee Hearing
The Rocky Mountain National Park Boundary Modification Act and the Rocky Mountain Ownership Correction Act will make adjustments to the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Joe Neguse’s bipartisan bicameral bills to make boundary adjustments to Rocky Mountain National Park will be considered in a hearing in the National Resources Committee on Monday, with Congressman Neguse testifying in support of the two proposals. The Rocky Mountain National Park Boundary Modification Act, introduced by Congressman Neguse, would allow former NASA astronaut Vance D. Brand to donate 40 acres to Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Rocky Mountain Ownership Correction Act would resolve a longstanding issue regarding a local family’s cabin that was erroneously transferred to the park. NASA astronaut Vance D. Brand will also be testifying in the hearing before the National Resources Committee.
“Both of these bills are common-sense locally-driven requests to authorize boundary adjustments to Rocky Mountain National Park,” said Congressman Joe Neguse. “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 I look forward to hearing testimony from Mr. Brand and others at next week’s Committee hearing.”
Watch the hearing live here on Monday at 12pm MT.
Since taking office, Congressman Neguse has introduced 46 pieces of legislation, more than any other freshman lawmaker. Four of his bills have been signed into law by the President, with eight others passing the House, including the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, Climate Resilient Communities Act, Federal Labs Modernization Act, Save Affordable Housing Act, Fairness in Social Security Act, legislation to install the first outdoor women’s suffrage monument in Washington D.C., his proposal to expand pre-registration nationwide and the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Permanent Extension Act (a measure that has also been approved in the Senate).
Background:
Former U.S. astronaut Vance D. Brand is voluntarily donating a 40-acre tract to Rocky Mountain National Park. The property is located adjacent to the eastern boundary of the park and would add additional protection for the park’s high-elevation ecosystem. This parcel of land would also provide recreational access and connectivity through a scenic, natural buffer between private lands and three popular trails; Estes Cone, Storm Pass, and Eugenia Mine Trails. These three trails connect to and are part of a large trail network offering hundreds of miles of trails to the park’s 4.5 million annual visitors.
The National Park Service (NPS) is working with the Forsyth family to resolve a 1972-73 issue where a 0.18-acre plot containing their family cabin was erroneously transferred to the Rocky Mountain National Park when the NPS purchased a larger surrounding parcel. An error in the bank documents’ legal description of the parcel mislocated the family’s holding as a 0.18-acre plot of vacant land inside the parcel, not the original cabin site. The Forsyth family, seeking to regain legal ownership of its cabin and the 0.18-acre plot on which it sits, proposed an exchange of properties.