PROTECT THE
DOLORES CANYONS
NATIONAL MONUMENT

The Dolores Canyons is Colorado’s largest and most biodiverse stretch of unprotected public lands.

We are a coalition of conservation organizations, community groups, and businesses proposing the conservation of nearly 400,000 acres of public lands in Western Colorado as the Dolores Canyons National Monument. 

These public lands span western Colorado’s remarkable high desert ecosystems and are home to a rich array of wildlife, cultural resources, and outdoor recreation opportunities. A national monument in Mesa and Montrose counties would complement the pending national conservation area legislation in Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel counties to protect the entirety of the Dolores River Canyon Country.

Today, the future integrity of the Dolores River Canyon Country is uncertain—imperiled by the long-term impacts of climate change, mining exploration, unplanned recreation, and development pressures. While the region has a long and globally-significant history of mining, we believe mining and other energy development isn’t appropriate everywhere. This proposal strikes a balance between protecting the most biologically- and culturally-rich public lands in the area, while excluding nearly 90% of existing mining claims in the Dolores watershed—leaving the door open to future mining exploration. 

A national monument designation would ensure that these public lands are managed in a manner that prioritizes the conservation of biodiversity, creates opportunities for local input, balances the needs of protecting nature and sustaining local economies, and preserves public access for recreation and traditional uses like hunting and grazing.

Join us in calling on Colorado’s elected leaders and President Biden to protect these lands as Colorado’s next national monument.

 

These lands, rich with an abundance of natural and cultural resources, are the historic homelands of Ancestral Puebloans and the Ute people.

The Dolores River Canyon Country is the ancestral land and territory of the Ute people who were forcibly removed and forced onto reservations by the United States Government during the 19th Century. This land is connected to the Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Southern Ute Tribe, Pueblos of New Mexico, Hopi Tribe, and Navajo Nation. Land protections can, and must, follow the guidance and wishes of Indigenous peoples and honor the legacy of people who have stewarded this land for generations.

 

Join the Movement

Get connected to conservation advocates and outdoor recreation leaders in your community.

Together, we hope to create a movement across Colorado and inspire action to permanently protect the Dolores River Canyon Country.

See the remarkable rivers, canyons, and mesas of Colorado’s Dolores Canyons.

The Dolores River traverses our public lands. It’s an oasis for wildlife and when flows allow, it offers some of the best boating experiences in Colorado. The river system has shaped the landscape in extraordinary ways, from deep canyons to sandstone arches. Here are just some of those places.

 

Slick Rock Canyon

The red sandstone cliffs of the Dolores River Canyon Wilderness Study Area (also called Slick Rock Canyon) tower 1,100 feet above the river as it twists and turns, interrupted by stunning side canyons and cultural sites

Maverick Canyon

Maverick Canyon holds one of the ephemeral tributaries to the Dolores River. A quick hike up the canyon brings you to Juanita Arch, a natural land bridge suspended above the canyon floor.

Stateline Rapid

Raft the Stateline Rapid, a Class IV rapid which stretches over a mile long through riparian habitat before the Dolores River crosses into Utah.

Unaweep Canyon

With its sheer granite cliffs, Unaweep Canyon offers both outstanding climbing opportunities and habitat for rare butterflies. Notably, this is a geologic oddity with two mouths and two creeks flowing east and west.

The Palisade

The Palisade—a towering fin of sandstone cliffs capped by slickrock—rises above the Dolores River basin at the town of Gateway, Colorado.

Hanging Flume

The Hanging Flume is suspended above the Dolores and San Miguel Rivers, clinging to the sandstone cliffs. Built in 1910s, the flume was designed to sift out gold by passing water down the ten-mile-long chute.

 

The photos and video above are courtesy of Rig to Flip, Colorado Wildlands Project, and Jon Mullen.