Proponents of creating a national monument to preserve one of Colorado’s “last, best wild places” are pivoting on strategy in the face of new President Donald Trump’s hostility to such designations and his plans to instead open more public lands to energy development.

This effort won’t be easy, but it’s worth it. With support from Senator Bennet, county leaders, and community members, together we can craft a plan that protects the Dolores’ natural beauty while honoring its cultural and economic importance. Whether through a national monument or NCA, we can reach an agreement on a framework that benefits everyone.

America’s public lands provide us with a shared language. Having worked on public lands policy in multiple states across the West, it’s amazing how quickly you can relate to a total stranger when you both have a love for a special place.

As summer fades into the vibrant hues of autumn, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Children are returning to school, leaving behind the carefree days of summer for classrooms filled with learning and growth. This transition is a poignant reminder that change is a constant in our lives, an opportunity for renewal and reflection.

Grand Junction Mayor Abe Herman as well as other local residents called on Colorado senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper to support the Dolores Canyons National Monument on a Zoom call Friday.

Today, Mesa and Montrose counties published a national conservation area (NCA) proposal to conserve 29,806 acres of public lands in the Dolores Canyon Country.

Colorado officials want to reduce proposed conservation efforts around the famed Dolores River, penning a draft proposal to shrink protected land in the area by 90%. The proposal by Mesa and Montrose county officials is now spurring anger and action from conservation groups, according to a report by the Colorado Newsline. 

In protecting this land, we do more than shield a landscape from harm; we reaffirm our commitment to honoring our ancestors and sustaining the cultural and spiritual ties that bind us to this sacred place.

Currently, Colorado’s hunters and anglers have perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect a wide swath of public lands habitat in southwest Colorado’s Dolores River Canyons region.

National monument designation for Dolores Canyons would benefit not only local communities and tourists but also all Coloradans.

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 director of the Bureau of Land Management said Tuesday that she is watching the discussion about a proposed national monument in the Dolores River region.

As a proud member of the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and a proponent of the Sportsmen for the Dolores coalition, I am writing to voice my strong support for the designation of the Dolores Canyons as a national monument.

These lands are not merely scenery; they are the very foundation of the Ute Mountain Ute identity. Increased mining would not just disrupt the delicate balance of the ecosystem, it would sever the cultural ties that bind my people to part of our ancestral home.

Today, Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper issued a joint statement indicating their support for permanent conservation protections for Colorado’s Dolores River Canyons region.

Understandably, nobody wants another “Moab.” From my experience, the real danger to becoming Moab is failing to take a proactive approach to planning for the future of these lands at all.

Monument designation can provide the process for local expertise to make major contributions to the management of special natural areas. Dolores Canyon deserves this type of special consideration.

Advocates for and opponents of the proposed Dolores National Monument share a commonality – a passion for this wild, glorious place. This natural wonder that wows.

Since 1974, Osprey has provided hikers, backpackers, bikers and everyday travelers with innovative and long-lasting carry solutions, each thoughtfully designed to reflect a passion for exploration and the outdoors.

Sen. Michael Bennet listened to Colorado residents’ thoughts and concerns regarding the movement to establish the Dolores Canyons National Monument.

Senator Bennet held a public meeting with the community over the National Monument proposal for the Dolores Canyons. Hundreds attended, and they had an opportunity to voice their opinion on the future of the Dolores Canyons.

I’m in my 70s now, and can look back across the decades where again and again, study after study has carried the same message: Protect the Dolores. Again and again, Congress has failed to act.

NUCLA, CO - In advance of Senator Bennet’s visit, western Colorado leaders are calling on the Senator to work alongside constituents and stakeholders to finally secure permanent protections for the Dolores Canyons.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is inviting the public to attend a listening session he is holding in Nucla on Sunday regarding a proposed national monument for the Dolores River region.

Designating a national monument around the Dolores River would protect the waterway and canyon country for future generations while bringing additional resources to the area to care for it. I think that’s a win-win.

Public lands conservation, like a new National Monument for the Dolores Canyons of Mesa and Montrose counties, can help promote regional prosperity if done in a way that complements and supports area businesses and that respects local culture and history.

More than 100,000 signatures in favor of the monument delivered to Washington D.C. in April.

I’ve spent 15 years studying biodiversity on the Colorado Plateau and one of the most valuable areas I know is the Dolores River Canyon Country of western Colorado.

GRAND JUNCTION – In advance of this Senator Hickenlooper’s public meetings, community and business leaders from across the state are voicing their support for action on the Dolores Canyons National Monument.

WASHINGTON, DC—This morning, Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout delivered over 103,000 petition signatures to the Biden administration from individuals voicing support for protecting the Dolores Canyons National Monument.

A monument designation supports what hunters have been working on for several years now: the conservation of quality winter range and secure migration corridors – something the Dolores country has in abundance.

I will always support efforts to preserve our natural landscapes. Growth is coming, has come, will continue to come. Whatever tense you want to use. Better we preserve that which has given us and our children joy, and look for ways to collaborate on minimizing adverse impacts, than let random chance determine the outcome.

Talk with neighbors and head down to that enchanting, biologically rich Dolores River. If any river is worthy of a monument designation, it’s the Dolores River and its surreal surroundings.

In my conversations with community members, there are two general responses I get to the proposal to designate a national monument for the Dolores River Canyon Country. One is a pessimistic, fear-based response that disregards facts. The other, vastly more common response is agreement that the Dolores is a truly special place and curiosity about whether a national monument might be the right tool for stewarding this landscape.

As support for protecting this magnificent landscape as a national monument gains momentum, it is imperative to recognize not only the ecological and cultural significance of preserving such places but also the profound benefits they offer to our children and their relationship with nature.

The Protect the Dolores Coalition’s proposal for a monument designation is an opportunity for western Colorado communities to lean into a civil conversation about ways to sensibly protect the Dolores River and its riparian zone of life, historical sites related to the area’s mining legacy, Indigenous cultural sites, remarkable geology, paleontological sites, world-class recreation opportunities, and the most biodiverse stretch of unprotected public lands in Colorado.

The biggest threats to hunting in western Colorado stem from fragmented landscapes, large-scale development and unmanaged recreation. A Dolores Canyons National Monument can be an incredibly important tool to help guard against these threats and ensure these world-class hunting opportunities remain for future generations to experience.

A wide-ranging poll on conservation issues released Wednesday revealed, among other things, support for some Biden administration initiatives and efforts to protect the Dolores River corridor, and also concern about climate change that is particularly high among younger people.

As the CEO and founder of a company deeply committed to sustaining the places where Coloradans work and play, I have the privilege of witnessing the transformative power of nature on both a personal and professional level.

While passing the bill ought to be a no-brainer for congressional leaders, particularly those in the West, Colorado’s elected leaders have an opportunity to think bigger by asking President Biden to protect the Dolores Canyons area in Mesa and Montrose counties as a national monument.

Analysis conducted for a local conservation group has concluded that the Dolores River canyon country has some of the largest areas of highly biodiverse but unprotected public lands in Colorado.

As a local business owner of Jagged Edge and Montrose Surf + Cycle we and the recreation community rely on the wellbeing of our local landscapes, and their conservation as protected lands, to help create jobs and generate economic growth.

As the mayor of Grand Junction, I have the privilege of representing the largest community on Colorado’s Western Slope. Our city, the place I grew up in, is surrounded by awe-inspiring beauty defined by public lands.

My business and community rely on conserved and healthy landscapes, as protected lands help create jobs and economic growth.

The River of Sorrows could see increased protection with federal legislation as a survey shows growing support for a national monument around Colorado’s pristine Dolores River Canyon Country.

The Protect the Dolores Film Tour brings an imperiled waterway and one of Colorado’s last, best unprotected landscapes to communities across the state.

A poll of residents in Colorado and several other Western states on conservation issues finds significant concern about things such as population growth in their state, crowding of outdoor recreation sites, and water scarcity.

Based on snowpack in the Dolores River Basin, there is a 90% probability that the runoff will fill McPhee Reservoir, according to the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center.

The Dolores River starts high in the San Juans southwest of Telluride, passes through Dolores, Colorado, where it fills the Reservoir at McPhee Dam.

Along Highway 141, the mud-stained Dolores River snakes its way through sheer canyons carved between towering mountains of crimson sandstone.

The Dolores River in southwest Colorado flows through one of the largest undeveloped landscapes in the state, a region critical for wildlife migration, biodiversity, cultural resources, and outstanding recreational opportunities.

The Dolores River Canyon is known for its scenic beauty, wildlife habitat, geological formations and cultural and Indigenous historic resources.

Icy beads of water are beginning to form and flow off the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado. As the droplets merge into tiny trickles, they are pulled on vast journeys to the rivers who carry them to the sea.

Drought conditions exacerbated by climate change is forcing tough choices for the water-starved regions of southwest Colorado, where farmers count on irrigated lands for farming and industry.

Where once a river ran, the Dolores River has all but disappeared in its lower reaches below McPhee Dam this summer, another causality of an intense drought that has gripped Southwest Colorado.

Draft legislation to designate a national conservation area on the Lower Dolores River is being considered again, and Montezuma County wants a seat at the table.