Dolores River Boating Advocates (DRBA) would like to give a “shout out” to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for its recent unanimous decision to pursue an instream flow water right for the Dolores River below the confluence with the San Miguel. This is a step in the right direction towards much-needed and long-deserved water protections for the Dolores River.
We, too, have been working on that stretch of river with the Bureau of Land Management and the Dolores River Restoration Partnership on a campsite and riparian restoration project.
The instream flow will help support these efforts and will help protect the outstandingly remarkable values of the Dolores River, which were recognized by the congressionally authorized Wild and Scenic River studies in 1975.
We encourage decision-makers to continue making sound judgment calls for this iconic river that is home to threatened native fish and other unique riparian species like the canyon tree frog and desert bighorn sheep, and was also once a draw to whitewater boaters which in turn supported a local and statewide recreational economy.
Ensuring we have water in the river to support the special values of the Dolores River helps protect a diversity of livelihoods and species that rely on the river.
Sam Carter
DRBA board president
Dolores