Two counties on Colorado’s Western Slope this week published a plan to protect land around the Dolores River that would take in a significantly smaller area than environmentalists’ competing proposal for a national monument.
The proposal Wednesday by Mesa and Montrose counties would designate 29,806 acres along the river corridor as a national conservation area. Existing water, grazing and mineral rights would remain in place and public access would continue.
The plan is “an effort to balance resource conservation with multiple-use principles and economic vitality,” according to the counties’ announcement.
“As another starting place for conversation, we welcome your input on areas that deserve greater protection, access concerns, etc,” the counties’ statement says. “We invite all residents to the table to determine the best path forward for Western Colorado.”
The counties’ plan is the latest development in a decades-long effort to better shield the area along the Dolores River from development and potential overuse, as well as to protect its natural and cultural assets. Legislatoin working its way through the U.S. Senate would designate a national conservation area along the river in Montezuma, San Miguel and Dolores counties.
But Mesa and Montrose counties dropped out of conversations about the legislation, leaving the river corridor in those counties out of the federal legislation.
To fill the gap, a coalition of recreation and conservation nonprofit organizations crafted the national monument proposal for the lands around the northern sections of the river in those two counties. The coalition, called Protect the Dolores, wants to create a 400,000-acre national monument along the Dolores River to protect what its members say are the largest, most biodiverse lands in Colorado without federal protections.
The coalition’s proposal has drawn attention from Colorado’s senators and fierce opposition from some locals.
The Dolores River begins in the San Juan Mountains near Telluride and flows southwest until it reaches the town of Dolores. From the small town, it turns north and meanders, eventually nearing Colorado’s western border before crossing into Utah and joining the Colorado River northeast of Moab.
Members of Protect the Dolores applauded the counties for participating in the effort to protect the river canyons, but they called the new proposal insufficient and flawed.
While the counties propose protecting only the land immediately adjacent to the river, the coalitions’ proposed monument would be much broader and would include swaths of land along the river’s tributary streams and canyons in the two counties.
“The Dolores River Canyon’s stunning landscapes and rich biodiversity require comprehensive protection, not just a narrow sliver along the riverbanks,” Henry Stiles, an advocate at Environment Colorado’s research and policy center, said in a news release.
Boaters park their rafts to hike in the Dolores River Canyon Wilderness Study Area on May 23, 2017. Petroglyphs, pictographs and dinosaur tracks adorn sandstone layers that tower above the river. (Photo by Lindsay Pierce/The Denver Post)
The counties’ plan fails to protect lands that are crucial for fish and wildlife habitat, including Unaweep Canyon and Roc Creek, said Craig Grother, the central West Slope regional director of Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
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“I had high hopes that Mesa and Montrose counties would unite and collaborate with local communities and stakeholders to safeguard the Dolores Canyon Country,” he said in a news release. “Unfortunately, this proposal falls short on multiple fronts.”
Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet have visited the region to learn more about the proposed monument. The two senators issued a joint statement earlier this month committing to continue working toward the permanent protection of the land.
Besides size, one of the key differences between the two proposals is who would be needed to authorize them. The president can designate a national monument unilaterally, while congressional approval is necessary for a national conservation area.
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