July 29, 2024
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Senator Michael Bennet
261 Russell Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Senator John Hickenlooper
374 Russell Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear President Biden and Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper:
Nearly 120 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation that codified the Antiquities Act – a conservation tool successfully deployed by presidents of both parties to create national monuments. It was a visionary idea that has withstood the test of time and has been a demonstration of bipartisan unity, acknowledging that certain places deserve to be protected for the good of our nation and for generations to come.
As retired National Park Service (NPS) superintendents who have all spent time managing a national monument – or national park that was once a national monument – we are writing you today to express our enthusiastic support for the administration’s commitment to protect 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030, particularly through the designation of national monuments, such as the Dolores Canyons.
There is a long history of conservation efforts in the Dolores River region. Designating Dolores Canyons as a national monument would help to safeguard wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and natural and cultural resources. A national monument designation for this landscape, which already is public land and would continue to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service, still would allow for hunting and grazing, and it would not affect 90% of active mining claims in the area.
In addition, public lands are an important economic driver for Colorado. According to the National Park Service, 312 million national park visitors infused local gateway communities with approximately $23.9 billion in spending supporting 378,000 jobs in 2022. That same year, visitors to national parks in Colorado spent over $800 million in local gateway regions while visiting NPS lands.
While Dolores Canyons National Monument would not be managed by the National Park Service, its status as a national monument would help to drive visitation and economic spending. However, this does not mean that the rugged and remote landscape of Dolores Canyons would be overrun with visitors. In fact, national monuments are known to “deliver a national park experience without the crowds.”
Throughout our years of service with the National Park Service, we have seen first-hand how important our public lands are to Americans. Although Colorado has a wealth of special places that help to drive the outdoor economy, many incredible landscapes, such as the Dolores Canyons, still are in need of better protection.
A national monument designation for the Dolores Canyons not only will protect irreplaceable natural and cultural resources, but it also will open avenues for economic growth in Montrose and Mesa Counties, increase resources to thoughtfully manage these lands, and deepen the quality of life in those communities –all while maintaining existing water rights, public access, and private property rights that are important to the local community. We urge President Biden to move swiftly and designate the Dolores Canyons National Monument.
Sincerely,
Russell Galipeau
Retired, NPS superintendent at Channel Islands National Park
(formerly Channel Islands National Monument)
Tim Hudson
Retired, NPS superintendent Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Sheridan Steele
Retired, NPS superintendent at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
(formerly Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument)
cc:
The Honorable Tracy Stone-Manning, Director, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Interior
The Honorable Brenda Mallory, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality
Randy Moore, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Shantha Alonso, Directeor, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, Department of Interior