Help Protect Colorado’s Dolores River Canyon

Image: John Fitzpatrick

The Dolores River flows from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains through some of Colorado’s most extraordinary public lands. These lands provide excellent recreational opportunities, including world-class whitewater rafting and kayaking, remote backcountry hiking and backpacking opportunities, and popular destinations for climbing and mountain biking.

The vast majority of the Dolores is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It is largely unprotected and remains open to mining and development. While there is low mineral resource potential in the Dolores River Canyon, there has been renewed interest in uranium mining and a history of pollution from former mine sites. Both development and extractive activity could disrupt the region's largely intact wildlife habitat and outstanding recreation opportunities—both of which are already at risk as climate change has affected the region.

Image: Rig To Flip

For decades, advocates have been working to ensure that the Dolores River Canyon endures for future generations. In the 1970s, river runners explored the wonders of the Dolores and described it as an extraordinary candidate for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the highest form of protection for rivers in the U.S. In 2008, a broad coalition of local stakeholders came together to craft a National Conservation Area proposal to protect the lands surrounding the Dolores River.

The Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, introduced by Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper—and Rep. Lauren Boebert in the House—proposes protections for more than 68,000 acres of public lands adjacent to the southern region of the river. It would establish a National Conservation Area on Bureau of Land Management lands and a smaller Special Management Area on adjacent Forest Service lands.

Alongside this bill, there is also an ongoing effort to protect the greater landscape through a national monument campaign, which has seen broad support from local residents and the outdoor recreation community. A proposed monument would protect the Dolores River and its surrounding landscape as it winds its way from the San Juan Mountains to the Colorado River in Utah. A monument designation would expand protections to safeguard the incredible recreational, ecological, and cultural resources that are dependent upon the landscape.

Adam Cramer, CEO of Outdoor Alliance, said “We are thrilled to see momentum building to protect the Dolores River Canyon, a spectacular landscape in western Colorado that is beloved by paddlers, rock climbers, and mountain bikers. The pressures of climate change and proposed development continue to threaten this special landscape. Outdoor Alliance and our partners have advocated for years to permanently protect the Dolores River Canyon. We hope to ensure that the canyon, river, and trails that are beloved to Coloradans and recreationists around the country will be protected for now and future generations.”

Outdoor Alliance and our partners, including American Whitewater, and the American Alpine Club, have been working for years to protect the Dolores River Canyon. Your voice is immensely important in protecting this special place. Take two minutes to sign and send your letter asking lawmakers and the administration to prioritize protecting the Dolores today.