Bennet, Hickenlooper’s Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act Passes Senate Committee with Bipartisan Support

Dec 17, 2025| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), celebrated the Committee's unanimous passage of their Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act out of ENR.

"For the people of Southwest Colorado, the Dolores River is more than just a landmark - it's the lifeblood of their communities and way of life," said Bennet. "This bill was written by Coloradans who live, work, and depend on the Dolores River. It represents a balanced, sensible way forward to resolve many long-standing disagreements, protect the river for all parties, and provide long-term certainty for generations. I am glad to see that it has once again passed out of Committee unanimously, and I will keep pushing to ensure this becomes law."

"Southwestern Coloradans care deeply about the Dolores River," said Hickenlooper. "Leaders on the ground have spent years deciding how to best protect and invest in the Dolores. We worked with them side by side to design a bipartisan bill to preserve this landscape."

The Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, which passed the ENR Committee today by a unanimous bipartisan voice vote, would protect over 68,000 acres of public lands in three Colorado counties of Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel.

For over a decade, Senator Bennet has led congressional engagement with local stakeholders to craft legislation that could garner broad support. As a result, more than two dozen stakeholder groups and local and Tribal governments have sent letters to Senator Bennet in favor of the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act. In 2021, Bennet invited Coloradans to share suggestions to improve the bill during a 45-day comment period and introduced the bill in July 2022 with Senator Hickenlooper. This is the second time the bill has been passed out of the Senate ENR Committee with a unanimous bipartisan voice vote.

Statements of Support:

"The Tribe is intent on protecting our Dolores Project allocations. We believe the proposed NCA legislation supports this goal by legislatively addressing the potentially conflicting authorities of Reclamation over the Dolores Project contracts and the jurisdiction of the Forest Service and BLM below McPhee Reservoir. This legislation also protects Tribal cultural rights and practices within the NCA and provides for a Ute Mountain Ute representative on the Resource Advisory Council that will be involved in developing a Resource Management Plan for the NCA," said Selwyn Whiteskunk, Chairman Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. "This legislation has been in the works for many years, involving careful consideration and compromise of the needs of every involved interest. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe believes that now is the time to move this legislation forward."

"The proposal is the result of a long-standing collaborative effort to protect the Dolores River and the interests of the various stakeholders that it serves, including water users, agricultural entities, local governments, OHV users, conservation groups, and recreationalists. ln crafting the NCA proposal, Montezuma County, San Miguel County, Dolores County, and other partners sought to address a myriad of concerns, including those arising from the finding that the Dolores River is 'suitable' for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act," said the Montezuma County Commissioners. "lt is the position of Montezuma County that designating the Dolores River as Wild and Scenic would result in significant consequences for water users and other groups seeking to access natural resources along the river corridor. By supporting the proposal for an NCA, it is Montezuma County's intent to ensure that portions of the lower Dolores River that run through Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel counties will not be designated as Wild and Scenic, and it is our position that the NCA proposal sets forth an acceptable compromise between the various stakeholders interested in utilizing water and land resources in and along the Dolores River."

"For over a decade, San Miguel County has been engaged in discussions with Dolores and Montezuma Counties, the Ute Mountain Utes, and other regional stakeholders to determine a locally driven long-term management solution for the Dolores River," said Lance Waring, San Miguel County Commissioner. "Collaboration and compromise have brought all these parties together on this issue. The Dolores County NCA is a locally built and broadly supported proposal that protects both natural resources and existing uses. I'm grateful to Senator Bennet for leading this effort and to Senator Hickenlooper for supporting this bill to ensure the protection of this magnificent river canyon."

"Dolores County is very pleased to hear that the Dolores River National Conservation Area (NCA) is progressing through the legislature. This legislation represents the culmination of decades of work by a broad coalition of stakeholders-local governments, conservation groups, agricultural interests, and community members-who came together through the Lower Dolores River Working Group to find common ground," said the Dolores County Commissioners. "The result is a balanced, bipartisan proposal that protects and sustains our cultural and natural resources while supporting our agricultural industry and the treasured landscapes of the Lower Dolores River canyon. We are further encouraged that the NCA Act passed unanimously through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, underscoring the strong bipartisan support for this effort."

"Senator Bennet has been a longtime champion for protecting the Dolores River and surrounding landscape. We are excited that the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area legislation has passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support. This bill represents the wisdom of southwest Colorado's diverse interests and would protect the southern portion of the greater Dolores River Canyon Country. Farmers, ranchers, boaters, motorized recreationists, water and energy interests, landowners, and conservation organizations all recognize the need to protect the region and are aligned on how best to do it. We are grateful to our delegation for their commitment to protecting these important cultural, natural, and recreational resources for generations to come," said Amber Clark, Executive Director, Dolores River Boating Advocates.

"I have worked continuously on this proposal since 2008. I believe local participation in the management of the area will provide better benefits for the native fish, scenic area, recreation, permitted federal land uses, private land values and water rights than a wild and scenic designation. I have ranching and farming operations in all three counties involved. I appreciate Senator Bennet for his many years of his leadership on this bill and Senator Hickenlooper for joining him in supporting this bill. I hope this bill can go forward in the bipartisan way we have shown is possible with the diverse local groups that put this proposal together," said Al Heaton, local rancher that operates in the proposed NCA.

This bill is supported by: the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; Montezuma, San Miguel, Dolores Archuleta, and La Plata Counties; the city of Cortez; the towns of Dove Creek, Norwood, and Dolores; Dolores River Boating Advocates, The Wilderness Society, American Rivers, Conservation Lands Foundation, American Whitewater, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Conservation Colorado, Sheep Mountain Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Alliance, Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, Jagged Edge Mountain Gear, Trout Unlimited, San Miguel Watershed Coalition, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Colorado, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Southwestern Water Conservation District, and the Western Small Miners Association.

The bill text is available HERE. A summary of the bill is available HERE. A map of the proposed National Conservation Area and Special Management Area is available HERE. You can find additional information, including support letters and answers to frequently asked questions on the bill's webpage HERE.

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