Mesa and Montrose counties have released a plan to protect sensitive river areas in remote Western Colorado, but conservationists are already calling the idea inadequate.
The Dolores River, and the canyonlands that surround it, have been targeted for conservation for decades. Most recently, a group named Protect The Dolores has called for a national monument designation that would unilaterally conserve around 400,000 acres of land that is presently managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. The Antiquities Act grants the president sole authority to declare lands a national monument.
The idea prompted enthusiasm from conservationists, pushback from concerned residents and visits from both of Colorado’s U.S. senators. In light of the discussion, Mesa County on Wednesday announced the National Conservation Area proposed by both counties. The idea focuses on about 29,000 acres of land, roughly 7 percent of the area conservationists were advocating for.
“We believe an NCA is the best path forward. This approach aligns with our community's desire to protect the Dolores Canyon’s natural resources while ensuring that recreational, economic, and socioeconomic resources are accessible for current and future generations,” Mesa County said in its release, which also referred to the proposal as a “starting point” for discussion.
County officials are taking public comment on the proposal, but they’re unlikely to get positive feedback from groups pushing for a monument. In a statement, the Dolores River Boating Advocates called the draft NCA “grossly inadequate.”
“The Counties’ proposal omits vast portions of the river canyon landscape and would leave critical wildlife habitat, vulnerable Indigenous cultural sites important to the Ute People and other regional Tribes, historical locales, wilderness-quality lands, and recreational opportunities unprotected,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, opponents of the monument also see the NCA plan as insufficient. Sean Pond, who formed the group Halt the Dolores Monument, said he doesn’t think the area needs a monument designation or an NCA. In fact, he’s pessimistic about fending off the conservation push.
“The environmental activists that have proposed this, the proponents of the Dolores Monument, they're holding all the cards,” Pond told CPR News, noting that President Joe Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative endeavors to conserve 30 percent of 2030. “This falls right into his legacy and his agenda … this is the last days of his presidency. He has nothing to lose.”
Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper both visited the area to take stakeholder input earlier this year. They issued a joint statement earlier this month offering guidance on how to protect the area but stopped short of calling for a national monument.
A National Conservation Area was already agreed to for portions of the Dolores River south of Montrose County. That bill had bipartisan support, including from Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, though it has yet to gain traction in Congress.
