President Biden will designate Camp Hale, an area in Colorado that was used to train soldiers in World War II, as a national monument next week, a source familiar told The Hill on Friday.
The Los Angeles Times first reported that the national monument designation, slated to take place this Wednesday, was forthcoming.
While Biden has widened the boundaries and advanced protections for other monuments during his time in office, the Camp Hale designation will be the first new monument designation of his presidency.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment.
At Camp Hale, which is located in the Rocky Mountains, the Army’s 10th Mountain Division learned ski and mountaineering techniques.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) is expected to join Biden. Bennet, who is up for reelection this year, wrote a letter to Biden in favor of the monument designation, along with Colorado’s Sen. John Hickenlooper (D), Gov. Jared Polis (D) and Rep. Joe Neguse (D).
“The history of this area, including the role that it played in preparing the 10th Mountain Division for some of the most difficult moments of World War II, makes it the ideal candidate for a national monument designation,” they wrote in August.
And while the senators, alongside some veterans and environmental advocates, have pushed for the designation, it also has opponents.
Some Republicans have pushed back against the idea, saying a designation would be a “land grab.”
“While Camp Hale and our servicemembers that were stationed there made important contributions to World War II, we don’t support the efforts of extremist environmentalists who are seeking to hijack this historic place to create a new land designation … to prohibit timber harvesting and mining on nearly 30,000 acres of land,” said a recent letter that was led by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
The Washington Post first reported last month that Biden was considering a designation
Source: The Hill
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