[6] Designation of the monument was requested by numerous Colorado lawmakers, including Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, Representative Joel Hefley[4] and Governor John Hickenlooper.

[7] It was opposed by Representatives Ken Buck and Doug Lamborn, who objected to the president's use of executive action in declaring the monument.

RARE I determined that all U.S. Forest Service lands within Browns Canyon and surrounding areas, tens of thousands of acres, were suitable to be designated as wilderness.

[10] In 1976, the BLM, as directed by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, proposed protection of Browns Canyon for primitive values, initiating a review for wilderness designation.

[14] The legislation failed due to the influence of the National Rifle Association of America, which claimed that a wilderness designation would limit hunting in Browns Canyon.