Submitted by rscholfield on Fri, 2014-07-11 15:36 Conservation Colorado TU Vote Up Down +5 + BrownsCanyon_1711.jpg by Randy Scholfield It's not a household name. It's not on every angler's bucket list. But make no mistake: Browns Canyon is something special. Browns is part of a 100-mile stretch of the Arkansas River recently designated as Gold Medal Trout Water by the state of Colorado--think wild, big browns. And the backcountry is a favorite destination for elk, deer and bighorn sheep hunters. Now Colorado sportsmen are making a renewed push to protect this rugged backcountry and river canyon.Colorado Sen. Mark Udall has introduced legislation that would forever protect the 22,000-acre sportsmen's paradise as a national monument, and local support for the designation is bipartisan and overwhelming. Trout Unlimited this week helped launch a new website--Sportsmen for Browns Canyon--that makes it easy to join the effort and let our leaders know you want this special place protected. In a release, TU's Browns Canyon coordinator, Kyle Perkins, said, "We just want to keep it the way it is--wild and pristine." Also check out this recent oped in the Denver Post from former Colorado governor Bill Ritter, who notes that a Browns Canyon designation would be a tremendous boost to Colorado's important recreation and tourism economy. Browns is a "last best place" worth protecting. Join the effort and help us get this done. Randy Scholfield is TU communications director for the Southwest region.