Tag Archives: Colorado National Monument

NASA satellite captures image of what may become the next national park in Colorado

National parks are some of the nation’s most valuable and beautiful areas.  Colorado is home to four of them and NASA satellites recently captured images of what may become our next one.

Colorado National Monument sits southwest of Grand Junction and contains extraordinarily beautiful and rugged terrain.  In 1907, John Otto wrote of the area saying, “I came here last year and found these canyons, and they feel like the heart of the world to me. I’m going to stay and build trails and promote this place, because it should be a national park.”

Otto would not see his dream realized.  Instead, in 1911, President William Howard Taft established the Colorado National Monument through a Presidential Proclamation.

Senator Mark Udall has recently revived the push to turn this area into a national park.  While this would take an Act of Congress, it could be done and Colorado National Monument could become the state’s fifth national park.

NASA’s Landsat 7 flew over the area on March 6th and captured the image from its perch 438 miles above the Earth.

March 6, 2011 - Colorado National Monument as seen by NASA's Landsat 7 satellite.
March 6, 2011 - Colorado National Monument as seen by NASA's Landsat 7 satellite.

Continue reading NASA satellite captures image of what may become the next national park in Colorado