Biden to designate Colorado's Camp Hale as national monument

Oct. 12 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden will designate Colorado's Camp Hale as a national monument Tuesday, protecting the former winter training grounds for the Army that dates back to World War II.

Biden is set to travel to Colorado to deliver remarks on "protecting and conserving America's iconic outdoor spaces" from Vail, Colo., at 3:30 EDT on Tuesday.

The Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, which covers 53,800 acres, is now home to wildlife including elk, deer, lynxes and migratory songbirds instead of soldiers.

"The rugged landscape of Camp Hale-Continental Divide serves as a testament to a pivotal moment in America's military history," the White House said in a statement. "These peaks and valleys forged the elite soldiers of the famed 10th Mountain Division -- the Army's first and only mountain infantry division -- that helped liberate Europe in World War II."

The administration said the land lies within the ancestral homelands of the Ute Tribes, along the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado, and is valued for its historical and spiritual significance, stunning geological features, and abundant recreation opportunities.

"The area's mountains and valleys also shaped our modern outdoor recreation economy, which today supports millions of American jobs," the White House said.

During his remarks Wednesday, Biden is also expected to propose withdrawing 225,000 acres in the Thompson Divide from potential new mining or drilling.

Biden is using the Antiquities Act to designate Camp Hale and the Tenmile Range as a national monument.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who is in a tight race to keep his seat in the midterms against Denver businessman Joe O'Dea, will appear with Biden.

O'Dea said he opposes the administration's plans to create a national park, saying that Congress should decide.

"Joe [O'Dea] believes conservation efforts around Camp Hale and the Tenmile Range should be determined by a bipartisan process in Congress, not unilateral and potentially unlawful executive action that could be subject to lawsuits and uncertainty," O'Dea spokesman Kyle Kohli told The Washington Post.

House Republicans, led by Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado sent a letter to Biden last month opposing the land use restrictions.