Blog: Why It Is Critical to Protect the Dolores River Canyon Watershed

Cutting an extraordinary path through public lands --from ponderosa forests and gorges to slick rock canyons-- the Dolores River Canyon is the most biodiverse, unprotected area of Colorado. 

This vast and extraordinary landscape spans part of five counties, including Montezuma, Dolores, San Miguel, Montrose, and Mesa. In these last two, Hispanics represent the largest minority, with 21.2% and 15.5 %, respectively. 

Besides the Latino population currently living in the region, Hispanics and the Dolores have a long history and connection.  

The Dolores’s original name was “Río de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores,” or “River of Our Lady of Sorrows.” In 1765, Juan Antonio María de Rivera, a Spanish explorer from New Spain, traveled north on horseback from New Mexico to Colorado, looking for rich silver deposits. During his travels, he named several of Colorado’s rivers, including the Dolores. The path that Rivera and his men followed became the Old Spanish Trail in Colorado. 

Almost 260 years later, this river carries more importance to Latinos than just its name.  

The Dolores River is a tributary to the Colorado River, which provides water to 40 million Americans, including one-third of the Latino population in the United States, and widespread agriculture, which has a key role in three counties of the Western Slope of Colorado. Hispanics make up most agricultural workers harvesting the produce from the Colorado River waters, and they are also three-quarters of Colorado’s farmworkers.  

It is critical to protect the public lands around the Dolores River Canyon to help preserve water quality and ensure watershed resilience, but it is equally essential to safeguard this landscape that has been the ancestral home to Indigenous Peoples for millennia. History is written all over this canyon. To this day, hikers can run into and appreciate rock art and prehistoric petroglyphs, such as Roc Creek Petroglyph, that can be found on rocks and boulders along trails. 

Hiking opportunities are unlimited in this vast region of Colorado. But besides its scenic trails, the unique beauty of this landscape offers unparalleled outdoor recreation activities, including camping, fishing, climbing, mountain biking, bird watching, and world-class whitewater rafting and kayaking, providing Coloradans and visitors from nearby states alike a great getaway from urban areas while boosting local economies through tourism. 

There are so many reasons why the Dolores River Canyon is so special and deserves protection.  

However, currently, the Dolores River Canyon faces increased threats, including a prolonged drought due to climate change, which impacts its water flow, and an increasing interest in uranium mining and extractive industries --from radioactive uranium run-off from the poorly closed mines as well as new proposed mines--putting at risk the health of ecosystems, local communities, and recreational activities the region is renowned for. 

Despite the efforts from the extractive and mining industries, Coloradans want this region to be permanently protected.  According to the 2024 Conservation in the West Poll, 92 percent of Colorado voters support protecting public lands surrounding the Dolores River Canyon to conserve critical wildlife habitat, safeguard the area’s scenic beauty, and support outdoor recreation.  

To safeguard this incredible landscape's rich biodiversity, cultural resources, and vital watershed for generations to come, HECHO supports the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, which would establish the Dolores River National Conservation Area and the Dolores River Special Management Area in Colorado, safeguarding nearly 70,000 acres of land around the river. 

HECHO is also a supporter of the designation of the Dolores Canyons in Montrose and Mesa counties as a national monument, which will complement the existing National Conservation Area proposal in Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel counties. 

Protecting the entirety of the Dolores River Canyon prioritizes the long-term health of our public lands, safeguards this vital watershed, benefits the community, and sustains local economies.  

Support the permanent protection of the public lands of the Dolores River Canyon Country by signing this petition.