U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release January 31, 2007		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-5999 Drew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852
Sen. Salazar Resumes Push for South Park and Sangre De Cristo National Heritage Areas WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the past 20 years, Congress has designated 27 National Heritage Areas (NHA) to recognize and protect segments of the country that have extraordinary cultural, historical, environmental and recreational resources. National Heritage Areas are conceived and managed by local citizens and organizations, but the National Park Service provides administrative and technical support in their establishment. Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar re-introduced two bills to designate two new National Heritage Areas (NHAs) in Colorado: the South Park NHA and the Sangre de Cristo NHA. Senator Salazar introduced similar proposals during the 109th Congress. “The South Park and the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Areas deserve to stand alongside America’s other National Heritage Areas, including the Civil War battlefields in the East and the Cache la Poudre River Corridor in northern Colorado,” said Senator Salazar. “These NHA designations will protect our Nation’s most important cultural and natural assets and spur economic development. I applaud the local citizens and organizations in these communities for their work toward fulfilling the criteria for becoming an NHA set forth by the National Park Service.” The South Park NHA would preserve South Park by protecting 19 working ranches along 30 miles of stream corridor and 17,000 acres of wetlands and agricultural lands in the headwaters of the South Platte River. The Sangre de Cristo NHA will include Conejos, Costilla and Alamosa counties in the San Luis Valley. Flanked by the Sangre de Cristos to the east and the San Juan range to the west, these three counties are at the confluence of Native American, Hispano and Anglo cultures. The area’s rich cultural traditions, fertile lands, and rugged mountains make the Valley one of our nation’s crown jewels. Under Senator Salazar’s bills, the federal government will provide matching funds to rehabilitate old structures, develop tours, establish exhibits or programs, and increase public awareness of the area. NHA’s are not federally owned, though they can include some public land, and they consist primarily of private and state holdings. Both bills ensure that private property rights and water rights are in no way affected by the creation of the National Heritage Area. ###