Fragile riparian corridor threatened by mining, development, and overuse

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


** Explore the Dolores River Canyon
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Friday, September 9, 2022
Center for Western Priorities ([link removed])

The latest video postcard in the Center for Western Priorities' Road to 30 series takes us to the Dolores River Canyon in Southwest Colorado ([link removed]) .

The Dolores River Canyon ([link removed]) is a contiguous, diverse landscape that is part of a broader region known as the Colorado Plateau, and an important tributary of the Colorado River system, which provides water for 40 million people living in the Southwest. The river starts in the mountains of Colorado and flows through red rock canyons and Ponderosa pine forests before entering an arid desert habitat where it’s one of the only water sources in the region, making the river corridor a hotspot for wildlife.

The river anchors a broader landscape of vulnerable public lands threatened by uranium mining, oil and gas development, and unmanaged recreation. Drought and overuse pose an existential threat to this fragile riparian corridor, and more protection is needed to sustain the Dolores River landscape into the future. Local groups like the Dolores River Boating Advocates, the Colorado Wildlands Project and others are working to find collaborative solutions to protect the Dolores River and surrounding landscape.

Watch the short 5-minute film ([link removed]) to hear from people who know this region intimately, including a native fish biologist, a local county commissioner, and a healthy rivers advocate as they share what makes this landscape and river corridor so special, and why it needs greater protection.


** Slur removed from federal place names
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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced on Thursday that the Interior Department has finished removing a slur for Native American women ([link removed]) from federal place names, less than a year after launching a review. A new interactive map ([link removed]) shows the new place names across the country.

“I feel a deep obligation to use my platform to ensure that our public lands and waters are accessible and welcoming,” Haaland said ([link removed]) . “That starts with removing racist and derogatory names that have graced federal locations for far too long.”
Quick hits


** New portal shows how climate change is affecting your town in real time—and what could happen in the future
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Fast Company ([link removed]) | Oregon Capital Chronicle ([link removed]) | Cronkite News ([link removed]) | Modesto Bee ([link removed]) | NM Political Report ([link removed]) | KUOW ([link removed])


** 22,000 people face evacuation as tropical storm brings high winds to California wildfire
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** US removes derogatory name from hundreds of locations
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | Nevada Current ([link removed]) | KNAU ([link removed]) | USGS ([link removed]) [Interactive Map]


** Opinion: Biden needs to step up to protect lands in New Mexico
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])


** Lawmakers say ‘temporary’ nuclear waste site poses undue risk to New Mexico
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Carlsbad Current Argus ([link removed])


** Preserving the natural sonic environment in Bears Ears
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Source NM ([link removed])


** BLM details plans for HQ move back to DC
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Colorado River megadrought got you down? Meet TikTok's WesternWaterGirl
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KUNC ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” It's unfortunately not hard to imagine a scenario where portions of this river essentially dry up. And I don't think we, as a society, should allow that to happen. I don't think this river deserves to be a sacrifice zone.”
—Rica Fulton, Dolores River Boating Advocates, in CWP's Road to 30 Postcard from the Dolores River Canyon ([link removed])
Picture this


** @usfws ([link removed])
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Even as juveniles, great horned owls can win any staring contest.

As one of the most dominant owls in North America, both in geographic range and diversity of prey, the great horned owl is not to be trifled with.

They steal nests from hawks and hunt almost anything, but mostly catch mammals with their incredibly strong talons.

This juvenile was seen at the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for Columbian White-tailed Deer on the lower Columbia River in Washington state.

USFWS photos: Jake Bonello

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