{"id":27143,"date":"2024-06-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-15T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/discussions-on-dolores-national-monument-continue-with-majority-support\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T23:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:52:26","slug":"discussions-on-dolores-national-monument-continue-with-majority-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/discussions-on-dolores-national-monument-continue-with-majority-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Discussions on Dolores National Monument continue with majority support"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Boating
Boating is popular on the Lower Dolores River, which is being considered as a National Conservation Area. (Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Sen. Michael Bennet listened to Colorado residents\u2019 thoughts and concerns regarding the movement to establish the Dolores Canyons National Monument.<\/p>\n

Bennet arrived in Nucla for the June 9 public meeting to hear from both sides, noting that he understood the opposition\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n

Bennet has said he didn\u2019t want the areas surrounding the Dolores River to \u201cbecome another Moab\u201d after locals expressed concerns over towns like Moab and Telluride becoming \u201coverwhelmed\u201d tourist destinations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs somebody who\u2019s worried about this place looking like Moab, I\u2019m worried that if we don\u2019t do anything about it, that we run a big risk, that\u2019s the way it\u2019s going to look. So, I think we should continue the conversation we\u2019re having,\u201d Bennet said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One audience member, Hank Miller, told CPR News<\/em> that he believes the monument is a done deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as far as myself and many people around here, we can already see the writing on the wall,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite concerns, Bennet said he wouldn\u2019t support a proposition that didn\u2019t protect ranching or water rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never support a national monument that affects grazing rights or grazing leases,\u201d Bennet said. \u201cI would never do that. I would never (support) one that affects people\u2019s water. I would never. And I think we need to get into the details of all of that and people need to see it as black and white.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also talks about conserving areas of the Dolores River around Dolores, San Miguel and Montezuma Counties, but those talks have not moved forward thus far.<\/p>\n

Suzanna Strazza from Dolores River Boating Advocates said in an email received by The<\/em> Journal <\/em>that she was among 400 people who attended the event and that supporters of the monument viewed it as a \u201csuccess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a huge turnout. Bennet did a great job mediating, very gracious, funny respectful. Opposition said all the things we expected. We said all the things they expected,\u201d Strazza said. \u201cAll in all, from our side, it was a success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strazza also said that although the conversation was civil, they were allegedly harassed as they left the building, with one woman mooning them and hurling obscenities their way.<\/p>\n

Information provided to The<\/em> Journal<\/em> by the Protect the Dolores Coalition included a recent public opinion survey created by Colorado College, which showed an overwhelming 92% of Colorado voters support the monument\u2019s establishment. Over 100,000 people have signed a petition urging Colorado senators to conserve the Dolores Canyons as a national monument.<\/p>\n

Nearly 200 Colorado businesses have endorsed the monument\u2019s proposal, as well as farmers, ranchers, museums, sporting retailers, real estate firms and restaurants.<\/p>\n

The City of Grand Junction has also called<\/a> for the monument\u2019s designation, according to the city\u2019s official website.<\/p>\n

The Protect the Dolores Coalition said the areas surrounding the Dolores River are rich in cultural and historic sites, big game habitats, scenic beauty and recreational activities.<\/p>\n

According to Center for Western Priorities, the purpose of Sen. Bennet\u2019s recent visit was to help \u201ccorrect misinformation about the monument proposal and to encourage civil, fact-based conversation about the future of these important public lands,\u201d according to a June 8 news release.<\/p>\n

Aside from protecting the land that encompasses the Dolores River area, the Center noted that national monuments help boost local economies and attract entrepreneurs to the region.<\/p>\n

The project also has bipartisan support, with many Republicans voicing their approval of conserving land, according to Winning the West\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite concerns about how the proposed monument would affect camping and recreational activities, those backing the proposal said that \u201cdispersed camping and all other recreational activities would still be allowed in a future monument.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another concern was that the monument would negatively affect cattle ranching and mining, but \u201call valid, existing grazing and mining rights would be protected under a monument designation,\u201d according to the Center for Western Priorities.<\/p>\n

Representatives from Trout Unlimited and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers launched a \u201cSportsmen for the Dolores\u201d initiative, voicing their support for the proposed monument to help \u201cconserve fish and wildlife habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dolores River offers world-class hunting and fishing opportunities, but faces threats from industrial-scale mining, habitat fragmentation, climate change and unmanaged recreation,\u201d the June 8 news release said.<\/p>\n

The initiative looks to \u201cpermanently conserve the Dolores River watershed, critical to retaining its high-quality sporting values,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese principles include creating monuments that safeguard fish and wildlife habitat, maintain reasonable public access for hunting, fishing and wildlife management and provide assurance that authority over fish and wildlife populations will be retained by state management agencies,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n

Even former Ute Mountain Ute tribal council member Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk voiced her support in a statement released by Protect the Dolores Coalition on June 7. She said the Dolores River and surrounding lands are the Nuchu Utes\u2019 ancestral homelands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proposed Dolores Canyons National Monument can help preserve access and protect cultural sites and landscapes,\u201d Lopez-Whiteskunk said, adding that protection honors Indigenous connections to the area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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