By: Rebecca Gillis
Last week, members of The Conservation Alliance community gathered in a landscape as beautiful and meaningful as any – the Dolores River Canyon Country. Our staff, representatives from member companies, grantees, and partners attended our second Advocate Outdoors event to experience the land authentically and engage in meaningful discussions about the landscape and what needs to be done to protect it.
Why the Dolores?
The Dolores River Canyon Country in Southwest Colorado is one of Colorado’s last wild places, spanning an area of nearly 500,000 acres of public lands and 162 river miles of stunning high-desert landscapes. Local community members have been advocating for its permanent protection for the past 50 years and it’s one of The Conservation Alliance’s priority campaigns.
The river and surrounding canyon country have been the bedrock of life for generations, sustaining Indigenous communities, rich biodiversity, and is home to small towns weathering the boom and bust cycles of extractive industries over the past decades. The area is facing multiple threats, including renewed mining interests, increasing risk from climate change – including drought and wildfire – and a lack of resources to sustainably manage increasing visitation.
TCA is currently funding the Dolores River Boating Advocates and Colorado Wildlands Project for their work advocating for the landscape and we’ve been running our own advocacy campaigns on behalf of member companies for many months. Connecting with member companies on the landscape to experience its natural features, communities, and biodiversity firsthand is an important part of moving our work forward.
Experiencing the Landscape Firsthand
Our group came together at CampV, our home for two days, where we learned more about the landscape, ventured out to enjoy its wonder, and spent time enjoying each other’s company – a rare treat for many of us!
There’s no better way to enjoy the landscape than venturing out and breaking a sweat! On the first day attendees set out on one of two recreation opportunities on the landscape. Some enjoyed a hike along the Dolores River while others took a gravel ride overlooking Paradox Valley with the La Sal and San Juan Mountain ranges in sight. Both activities afforded us stunning views and incredible insight into the area’s ecological value and biodiversity.
We then reconvened for happy hour and dinner where we had the pleasure of hearing from local experts, including TCA grantees leading the Protect the Dolores campaign. We wrapped the evening alongside a campfire, sharing our experiences of the day, our time out on the landscape, and getting to know more about one another.
On day two, many attendees woke up before dawn and were guided on a hike to look at a panel of petroglyphs and learn about their tribal significance. We then returned to CampV for breakfast and a final discussion about how companies can take action to support the Protect the Dolores campaign.
What’s Next
TCA has invested in the Protect the Dolores campaign for several years. Currently, we are advocating for two major efforts to protect the region.
First, we’re working with Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) on legislation that will designate a 68,000-acre National Conservation Area. This piece of legislation has been well-received by members of congress and is likely to gain steam in the final months of 2024. TCA members will have an opportunity to weigh in on the importance of this legislation when the bill moves forward.
We’re also advocating for the creation of a national monument which will protect the northern portion of Dolores River and surrounding landscapes and watershed not covered in Senator Bennet’s proposed legislation. This campaign is a part of our Mobilizing for Monuments campaign, which is a broad coalition of businesses advocating to establish and expand national monuments to protect our public lands and strengthen our economy, culture, and way of life. The more companies and individuals that sign on in support of M4M, the more attention we get from decision makers to move the needle on national monuments!
There are many opportunities for companies to get involved in both of these solutions, including joining business sign-on letters, spreading awareness about the importance of this landscape through communication efforts, or joining events just like this one!
Thank You
We are extremely grateful to our grantees, Dolores River Boating Advocates and Colorado Wildlands Project, who are working on the ground on this campaign every day and who took the time to join us for this event and share their expertise with attendees.
We want to say thank you to all of our event attendees from member companies including, Astronaut Foods, Backpacker’s Pantry, Best Day Brewing, Bonfire Collective, Eventus, GU Energy Labs, LangeTwins Winery, New Belgium Brewing, Osprey, Teva, The North Face, and TripOutside.
And special thanks to our additional event sponsors, CampV, First Ascent Coffee, Lizard Head Cycling Guides, and The Flying Bear Pizzeria.
