<\/p>\n
An experienced national park ranger from Arizona has been hired as the new permanent manager for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n
Ray O\u2019Neil, of Tucson, has assumed management of the 76,000-acre monument, known for its archaeological sites, desert canyon beauty and year-round recreation.<\/p>\n
He will also oversee the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum, the monument\u2019s headquarters, just west of Dolores.<\/p>\n
The monument has been run by a series of interim managers since Marietta Eaton retired as manager in December 2018.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neil has a 30-year career in public lands service.<\/p>\n
He previously was chief ranger for Saguaro National Park for five years, and a district ranger for Zion National Park for 15 years. He was also a park ranger for Grand Canyon and Canyonlands National Parks and was the acting superintendent of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so excited to be back on the Colorado Plateau, and look forward to working with monument staff and the community,\u201d O\u2019Neil said in an interview. \u201cI have an open-door management style, anybody can talk with me about issues or concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a public lands devotee, he said the job is an opportunity of a lifetime, especially because of the monuments\u2019 diverse landscapes and archaeology.<\/p>\n
There are more than 8,400 recorded Ancestral Puebloan sites on the monument, and it\u2019s estimated that there are 20,000 to 30,000 sites in total.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is so much to learn and explore, my approach is to manage the land in a way that protects resources while also providing opportunity for people to enjoy their public lands,\u201d O\u2019Neil said.<\/p>\n
He said a priority is to reopen the Visitor Center and Museum to the public by spring. It has been closed for months because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to reopen and welcome the public back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When visitors arrive again, the special exhibit room will feature a photography display of wild horses on Bureau of Land Management land. The museum will continue its search for a new vendor for the book store and gift shop, which closed after the previous vendor left in 2019.<\/p>\n
Education, interpretive and archaeological preservation programs are a major component of the monument and museum, O\u2019Neil said.<\/p>\n
He said they must be viewed through the perspective and input from Native American Tribes with ancestral and cultural ties to the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to working with tribes, to hear and understand their concerns and see what we can do to manage things together,\u201d he said. \u201cThe tribes have a deep connection with the landscape, they are sharing it with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neil said he recently took his wife and two daughters exploring in the popular Sand Canyon area, and they loved it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was great to see the diverse users \u2014 families, different age groups, mountain bikers enjoying the trails,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at public lands in a generational way, where people become advocates for them, where we manage them today so future generations will still have the opportunity to enjoy all they offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neil is the third manager of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument since it was formed in 2000 under President Clinton.<\/p>\n