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A proposal to designate the Dolores River canyonlands as a national monument would protect one of Colorado's largest, most biodiverse swaths of unprotected public land. The proposal to designate 400,000 acres of federal land along the river as a national monument would protect the landscape from new mining and development and provide better management tools for increased visitation.
Some community members disagree with the proposal and have turned to name-calling and online rants to express their concerns, the Denver Post reports. Sean Pond, an organizer of the Halt the Dolores Monument campaign, has posted on Facebook calling monument supporters “eco-terrorists,” “a parasite,” and “the embodiment of evil.” Others called local businesses that support the monument a “cancer on the community.”
Many opponents' concerns are based on misinformation. If designated as a national monument, the lands would continue to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, and would not have an entrance fee. Livestock grazing would still be permitted, as would existing recreation access, including motorized vehicles and off-road routes. Existing and valid mining claims would remain valid, though it would not allow new mining claims.
While opponents worry that a monument designation would overwhelm the area with tourists, advocates say the increased tourism would likely have a positive economic effect on Mesa and Montrose Counties. A monument designation would also provide the area with planning tools to manage visitation. “This landscape is one Instagram influencer away from being overrun, so let’s get the conservation right before it's a problem,” said Scott Braden, director of Colorado Wildlands Project and an organizer for the monument campaign.
Both Senator John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet have recently visited the area to hold community listening sessions. The monument proposal is supported by both the Ute Mountain Ute and the Southern Ute Tribes and 92 percent of Coloradoans across the state.
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It’s encouraging, because this was once our land here. Do we feel like we were the ones that should get it back? No, it should have been my grandparents and my great-grandparents. But it’s happening now.”
