Community Corner
Former Astronaut Vance Brand Gives Rocky Mountain National Park 40 Acres, Calling It “Payback”
"I wanted to pay back for all the enjoyment I got out of the park," Brand told CBS4.
(CBS4) – A donation from a former astronaut could expand Rocky Mountain National Park’s 425 square miles. Vance Brand, the command pilot on the first U.S.-Soviet joint spaceflight, wants to donate 40 acres to the park.
Brand was born and raised in Longmont and the city’s airport is named after him — Vance Brand Municipal Airport. Brand spent many summers climbing Longs Peak and hiking the trails of Rocky Mountain National Park. Fifty years ago, he purchased 160 acres on the eastern boundary of the park for $32,000.
Rocky Mountain National Park (credit: CBS)