Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Bennet, Hickenlooper: Dolores River needs more protection
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Monday, July 8, 2024
Dolores River, Bob Wick, BLM ([link removed])

After hearing from residents on Colorado's West Slope, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper issued a joint statement ([link removed]) over Independence Day saying they support more federal protections around the Dolores River ([link removed]) .

The senators said increased protections would also need to come with guarantees that existing mining, hunting, grazing, and water rights are protected—a position that mirrors what advocates for a 400,000 acre national monument have proposed.

The senators were neutral on what mechanisms could ultimately protect the region, but agreed that the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service should continue to manage the land, and that motorized access would remain open on the 160-mile Rimrocker Trail that runs between Montrose, Colorado and Moab, Utah.

Monument supporters, including Rica Fulton with the Dolores River Boating Advocates, welcomed the news.

“We also wholeheartedly agree with the principles that they outlined as part of the vision for the landscape,” Fulton told the Colorado Sun ([link removed]) . “We hope to see the senators expeditiously continue meeting with diverse stakeholders and facilitate working with Coloradans to craft a long-term plan for this incredibly special landscape.”

Nevada delegation asks for mining ban at Ash Meadows

Southern Nevada's congressional delegation is asking the Interior Department for a 20-year ban on new mining operations ([link removed]) near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, along with Representatives Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee signed the letter requesting the mineral withdrawal.

A Canadian mining company announced plans last year to drill 21 boreholes near the refuge in search of lithium. The company wants to drill within a few thousand feet of a spring that provides critical habitat for at least two endangered fish species.


** Quick hits
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Western governors look to boost industrial and natural carbon sequestration

Inside Climate News ([link removed])

Why the fall of Chevron might not be the win Wyoming politicians think it is

WyoFile ([link removed])

Scientists work to understand how the U.S.-Mexico border wall impacts wildlife

Knowable/Ars Technica ([link removed])

80% of toxic chemicals released in Utah in 2022 came from one mining company

Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])

Haaland, Bennet celebrate Thompson Divide protections

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])

Wildlife protections take a back seat to SpaceX and the FAA

New York Times ([link removed])

Strong environmental protections haven't slowed oil production in Colorado

CPR News ([link removed])

Jackson, Wyoming pledges to uphold the rights of nature

Buckrail ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” They kept saying, ‘No, we are not going to do that, we are not going to do that,’ and then they came back and said, ‘Yes, we are.’ We were being misled.”

—Former National Park Service official Mark Spier on SpaceX, New York Times ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])

We’re fawning over all the young mule deer at @blackcanyonnps ([link removed]) in Colorado. Mule deer fawns conceal themselves in tall grass or wooded areas throughout the park.

Their moms often maintain a distance from their babies in order to prevent drawing attention, but they visit several times per day to nurse. If you see a fawn, please give it space and remember to use safe wildlife viewing techniques. It is best to simply leave the area to make the fawn and doe more comfortable. Please do your part to keep wildlife safe. They are very deer to us.

Photos by D. Goodman / NPS

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