The state's Geographic Naming Board on Tuesday found itself on hold on two naming requests, finding a human-caused glitch in their new process. And they're now getting a little pressure from the federal naming board on a request that is on the move after four years of work.
When last we left the board in April, two reservoirs in San Miguel County were up for renaming. The relatively new landowner of VH Pasture Reservoir wanted to rename VH Pasture Reservoir to Elk Springs, and Vurl Reservoir would be called Wapiti Reservoir.
But the board's guide on these decisions, Jennifer Runyon of the federal U.S. Board on Geographic Names, said just because the reservoirs had changed hands was insufficient to change the names. Board members also raised a host of concerns about the previous names that needed to be vetted with the community and other state agencies.
Both requests are also pending with the federal agency, which is part of the US Geological Survey.
The board has several phases for its naming requests, according to the rules it set forth over the past several months. The first phase is to compile all the information on a proposal, do the background research and identify where the board should do outreach.
But that all relies on people actually doing what they were supposed to do, and as it turns out, most of the outreach that had been tasked to various board members didn't get done in time for Tuesday's meeting.
State Rep. Adrienne Benavidez, D-Adams County, gently chided the board, stating she did not want to go into the next meeting with things not done.
What the board is still working on: input from the local community, through letters to the editor of the local newspapers and contact with the local historical society; a review with the state engineer on whether the names are tied to water rights, and if the naming of those two reservoirs is tied in any way to livestock brands.
The one outreach that was completed was to Colorado's 48 Native American tribes, and according to Kathryn Redhorse, executive director of the state's Commission on Indian Affairs, only the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes were interested. They weren't wild about the use of a Shawnee word (wapiti) recommended for Vurl because the Shawnee is an Eastern tribe, not a Colorado one. But they were far more interested in the board itself, she told the committee, and that's an opportunity for further outreach.
Once that initial process is completed, the second phase is for a longer conversation about the proposal and its merits, according to Tim Mauck, deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources.
Runyon sat in on Tuesday's meeting and informed the state board that three new proposals have been submitted to the federal board, and a request that has been pending for four years is now awaiting action from Colorado.
That proposal is to rename Squaw Mountain in Clear Creek County to Mount Mestaa'ėhehe, the Northern Cheyenne word for Mistanta (Owl Woman). In the past month, the Clear Creek County commissioners OK'd that name change, one already approved by the US Forest Service and by the Northern Cheyenne.
Runyon noted that she's already getting emails that ask when the federal board would approve that change. Her response has been that they're waiting on the Colorado board to take action.
"We're getting a little pressure on how long that will take," she told the board, and suggested they prioritize action on that request.
Victoria Smith-Campbell from the Forest Service said the proposal has been four years in the making. "It's very notable that the county commissioners have changed their mind and supported the renaming."
One of the two new proposals tie in to the Palisade Plunge, the mountain bike trail that will be dedicated in Mesa County on July 23.
A Mesa County photographer suggested changing the names to Plunge Point and Plunge Mesa. The only concern, according to Runyon, was that the photographer's business is called Plunge Photo LLC, which could run afoul of the federal board's ban on use of commercial names. After a lot of hemming and hawing, Runyon said, they decided it probably wouldn't violate the commercial ban.
According to board member Luis Benitez, vice president of government relations and global impact for VF, the Colorado-based outdoor apparel company, the plunge is the name that has been used socially for years and on marketing materials for the area, and that he didn't think it would necessarily refer people to the photography business. This will be one of the top five mountain biking trails in the nation.
That last new proposal is to rename Squaw Mountain, just outside of Victor and Cripple Creek in Teller county. The proponent initially proposed Indigenous Mountain, but the federal board rejected it as too generic. The second proposal, to rename it Sunnyside, is also a bit bogged down, due to the mountain's location on private mining land.
According to the federals board's June 11 list, there are now 25 pending proposals for renamings Colorado landmarks, including five for the renaming of Mount Evans in Clear Creek County and the three new requests.
The five names now suggested for Mount Evans are Mount Cheyenne-Arapaho, a request that was withdrawn in favor of Mount Blue Sky and now resubmitted; Mount Soule, Mount Rosalie, Mount Blue Sky and a new entrant: Mount Evans, renaming in honor of Gov. John Evan's daughter Anne, a 19th-century patron of the arts and philanthropist in Denver.
The Colorado board's next scheduled meeting is July 15.
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Colorado Geographic Naming Board hits hiccup on naming requests - coloradopolitics.com
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