Nearly All of Dolores River Canyon Public Lands At Risk Under Conservation Proposal by Mesa and Montrose Counties
Paonia, CO — Yesterday, Mesa and Montrose counties published a National Conservation Area proposal that leaves more than ninety percent of the Dolores River Canyon without protections for public access, wildlife habitat, fresh water sources, Indigenous cultural sites, and recreational activities that support local economies. The proposal includes just under 30,000 acres of public lands along the Dolores River, which is a fraction of the nearly 400,000 acres that have been identified as valuable and vulnerable under the current national monument proposal.
According to the Conservation Lands Foundation, the national monument proposal was drafted by western Colorado local elected officials, community groups, and businesses to conserve the health of the most biologically-rich public lands and the public’s access to the most culturally- and recreationally-rich public lands in the northern Dolores Canyons region. The counties’ proposal, it said, is wholly inadequate for the needs of the region.
“This particular proposal fails to conserve the rich wildlife, cultural sites, historic places, and recreational opportunities that make the area worthy of conserving in the first place,” said Ben Katz, Associate Program Director with Conservation Lands Foundation.
“Due to the lack of clarity provided, we question whether this proposal even upholds the principles of the National Conservation Lands system. It’s disappointing to see the counties spend the public’s money fighting against the current national monument proposal for the Dolores River Canyon that achieves common goals; it protects the public’s access to the state’s most biologically- and culturally rich public lands, helps manage current and future visitation to public lands in Mesa and Montrose counties, and safeguards the area's dark sky and other qualities.
“For everyone who has spent countless hours over decades in discussions about what protections look like for the Dolores landscape, we continue to invite community members from Montrose and Mesa counties to come to the table to talk strategically about realistic solutions for how to maintain the health and the public’s access to this irreplaceable landscape all of us cherish.
“Gridlock in Congress makes legislative protections for public lands – like national conservation areas – unreliable. Working with President Biden to designate a national monument remains Senator Michael Bennet and Senator John Hickenlooper’s only likely pathway to deliver on longstanding efforts to conserve the Dolores River Canyon Country in Mesa and Montrose counties. Coloradans should not have to wait another year, another decade, or another five decades for Congress to act.”
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Conservation Lands Foundation published this page in Latest News 2024-07-25 14:14:47 -0600
