Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper reintroduced the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act to protect over 68,000 acres of public lands in Southwestern Colorado. Colorado Public Lands Day is Saturday, May 17th. Colorado was the first state to create a holiday for public land, demonstrating the deep connection Coloradans have to their public lands that define life in Colorado and drive our economy.
“Over millions of years, the Dolores River carved a canyon renowned – not just in our state, but across the country – for its majestic red rock walls that tower over the ponderosa pines. For the people of Southwest Colorado, the river is more than just a landmark – it’s the lifeblood of their communities and way of life,” said Bennet. “This bill was written in Colorado, by Coloradans who live, work, and depend on the Dolores River. It represents a balanced, sensible way forward to resolve many long-standing disagreements, protect the river for all parties, and provide long-term certainty for generations.”
“Southwestern Coloradans care deeply about the Dolores River,” said Hickenlooper. “Leaders on the ground have spent years deciding how to best protect and invest in the Dolores. We worked with them side by side to design a bipartisan bill to preserve this landscape.”
The Dolores River National Conservation Area Act follows nearly two decades of local discussion and collaboration on the Dolores River and twelve years of work to find a legislative compromise. In 2004, the Dolores River Dialogue began as a forum for all stakeholders to discuss their perspectives on Dolores River management. In 2008, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management requested that the Dolores River Dialogue – a coalition of diverse interests in the region – convene a broad-based community group to study pressing management issues in the Dolores River corridor from McPhee to Bedrock, including the possibility of a Wild and Scenic River federal designation. Through consensus agreement, the working group, known as the Lower Dolores Plan Working Group, decided to explore the possibility of an NCA and appointed a Legislative Subcommittee, which included counties, water managers, conservation groups, landowners, recreationists, energy companies, and staff from federal elected officials’ offices, to draft a legislative proposal for further vetting.
For over a decade, Senator Bennet led the congressional engagement on this process with local stakeholders to craft a piece of legislation that could garner broad support. As a result, more than two dozen stakeholder groups and local and Tribal governments have sent letters to Senator Bennet in favor of the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act. In 2021, Bennet invited Coloradans to share suggestions to improve the bill during a 45-day comment period and introduced the bill in July 2022 in the Senate with Senator Hickenlooper. In 2023, the bill was passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with a unanimous bipartisan voice vote.
“The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe fully supports the NCA legislation. The large gathering by the Dolores River last summer, during a boat trip with Senate staffs, Senator Bennet, Conservation Representatives, State, Federal, Tribal and local officials reflected the broad bi-partisan support for the NCA resulting from 10 years of collaborative negotiations,” said Manuel Heart, Chairman Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. “From the Tribe’s perspective, the Legislation protects our allocations from the Dolores Project, which provides us with water for drinking, economic development and our 7,600-acre farm. The Bill also supports the stewardship of the Dolores River, including protection of our cultural resources and practices. The legislation reconciles the obligations of Reclamation to meet water supply obligations, with BLM and USFS responsibilities to protect the natural ecology along the River. It includes the Tribe on the Resource Advisory Council that will develop a Management Plan for the NCA. Our water supplies are critical to the future of the Tribe, and protection of the River is consistent with our deeply held value that “Water is Life” for all beings. The NCA legislation supports both.”
“The proposal is the result of a long-standing collaborative effort to protect the Dolores River and the interests of the various stakeholders that it serves, including water users, agricultural entities, local governments, OHV users, conservation groups, and recreationalists. ln crafting the NCA proposal, Montezuma County, San Miguel County, Dolores County, and other partners sought to address a myriad of concerns, including those arising from the finding that the Dolores River is ‘suitable’ for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act,” said the Montezuma County Commissioners. “lt is the position of Montezuma County that designating the Dolores River as Wild and Scenic would result in significant consequences for water users and other groups seeking to access natural resources along the river corridor. By supporting the proposal for an NCA, it is Montezuma County’s intent to ensure that portions of the lower Dolores River that run through Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel counties will not be designated as Wild and Scenic, and it is our position that the NCA proposal sets forth an acceptable compromise between the various stakeholders interested in utilizing water and land resources in and along the Dolores River.”
“For over a decade, San Miguel County has been engaged in discussions with Dolores and Montezuma Counties, the Ute Mountain Utes, and other regional stakeholders to determine a locally driven long-term management solution for the Dolores River,” said Lance Warring, San Miguel County Commissioner. “Collaboration and compromise have brought all these parties together on this issue. The Dolores County NCA is a locally built and broadly supported proposal that protects both natural resources and existing uses. I’m grateful to Senator Bennet for leading this effort and to Senator Hickenlooper for supporting this bill to ensure the protection of this magnificent river canyon.”
“Dolores County is very pleased to hear that Senator Bennet and Senator Hickenlooper are reintroducing the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act (NCA),” said Linda Yellowman, Co-Chair, Dolores County Commission. “Dolores County has worked diligently on the NCA Legislation since its beginning as the Lower Dolores River Working Group. We have a working product that shows how a bipartisan group of stakeholders came together to provide local support and legislative efforts to protect and sustain our cultural & natural resources and supports our agricultural industry and our treasured land in the Lower Dolores River canyon.”
“Senator Bennet has been a longtime champion for protecting the Dolores River and surrounding landscape. We are excited that he has reintroduced the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area legislation with support from Senator Hickenlooper. This bill represents the wisdom of southwest Colorado’s diverse interests and would protect the southern portion of the greater Dolores River Canyon Country. Farmers, ranchers, boaters, motorized recreationists, water and energy interests, landowners, and conservation organizations all recognize the need to protect the region and are aligned on how best to do it. We are grateful to our delegation for their commitment to protecting these important cultural, natural, and recreational resources for generations to come,” said Amber Clark, Executive Director, Dolores River Boating Advocates.
“I have worked continuously on this proposal since 2008. I believe local participation in the management of the area will provide better benefits for the native fish, scenic area, recreation, permitted federal land uses, private land values and water rights than a wild and scenic designation. I have ranching and farming operations in all three counties involved. I appreciate Senator Bennet for his many years of his leadership on this bill and Senator Hickenlooper for joining him in supporting this bill. I hope this bill can go forward in the bipartisan way we have shown is possible with the diverse local groups that put this proposal together,” said Al Heaton, local rancher that operates in the proposed NCA.
This bill is supported by: the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; Montezuma, San Miguel, Dolores Archuleta, and La Plata Counties; the city of Cortez; the towns of Dove Creek, Norwood, and Dolores; Dolores River Boating Advocates, The Wilderness Society, American Rivers, Conservation Lands Foundation, American Whitewater, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Conservation Colorado, Sheep Mountain Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Alliance, Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, Jagged Edge Mountain Gear, Trout Unlimited, San Miguel Watershed Coalition, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Colorado, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and the Southwestern Water Conservation District.
The bill text is available HERE. A summary of the bill is available HERE. A map of the proposed National Conservation Area and Special Management Area is available HERE. You can find additional information, including support letters and answers to frequently asked questions on the bill’s webpage HERE.