In 1967, astronaut Vance Brand bought 160 acres beside Rocky Mountain National Park for $32,000

Former NASA astronaut Vance Brand spent decades exploring space and commanding shuttle missions, but a 40-acre piece of land along the eastern boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park remains one of his most lasting contributions on Earth. The story began in 1967, when Brand bought 160 acres of land next to the national park for $32,000. Decades later, with the support of his wife and children, he decided to donate a quarter of the property, 40 acres of undeveloped forest, to protect the natural landscape around the park. The land was first transferred in 2019 to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, the non-profit partner of the national park, to hold until federal officials could officially add it to the park. Because changing the boundary of a national park requires federal approval, Congress had to act. In 2020, Colorado lawmakers introduced the Rocky Mountain National Park Boundary Modification Act. The legislation was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Michael Bennet and former Senator Cory Gardner, along with Representative Joe Neguse in the House. It quickly gained bipartisan support, passed through Congress and was signed into law in January 2021, officially changing the park bo...