About CNMA
Colorado National Monument, a unit of the national park system, is a spectacular area of twenty thousand acres of steep-walled red rock canyons located in western Colorado near the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita. Situated on the eastern edge of the Colorado Plateau, Colorado National Monument attracts approximately 720,000 visitors per year.
Colorado National Monument Association (CNMA), a nonprofit organization, exists solely to assist and support Colorado National Monument. Proceeds from our retail operations, memberships, and donations support the monument’s educational, interpretive, and scientific programs, helping visitors better understand and connect to this premier geologic and recreational gem in Western Colorado. In 2010 and 2011, CNMA also provided funding for Centennial events.
We partner with the National Park Service to inspire our community and visitors to learn about, play in, and protect Colorado’s geologic gem.
Our members have helped fund the following events, programs, and improvements at Colorado National Monument:
- Junior Ranger Explorer Summer Day Camp
- Transportation for local school field trips
- 2011 Centennial Celebration events
- Spring and Fall Walks & Talks programs
- Advertising and marketing expenses for park-run community events
- Landscaping and exhibit area improvements
- Production of the Colorado National Monument Calendar, featuring the work of local photographers
- Roadside and trailhead signs
- Development and printing of publications including visitor guides, brochures, and site bulletins
- Remodel of the visitor center store
- Archival supplies and services for preservation of historical photographs (including those of and from CCC workers)
- Funding of college internships
- Centennial Band concerts
- Purchase of canopy for events such as Farmer’s Market, Outdoor Heritage Days, National Junior Ranger Days, and other events
- Art and photography contests and exhibits
The Colorado National Monument Association was first incorporated in 1964 as the Colorado – Black Canyon Natural History Association. In 1977 that organization was reorganized, and we acquired our current name, Colorado National Monument Association.
The CNMA consists of two full-time staff members, a seasonal part-time cashier, a ten-person volunteer Board of Directors, and approximately 400 paid memberships.