Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet spent several days in the area earlier this month, visiting with supporters and opponents of the national monument proposal. His colleague in D.C., Sen. John Hickenlooper, got an equally impassioned dose of public sentiment around the national monument proposal in April. The monument opponents worried that a national monument designation would curtail grazing leases and water rights. (Handout)The coalition supporting the Dolores River national monument argues the designation would protect natural resources in the ecologically diverse canyons around the Dolores River for future generations while allowing for existing mining, agriculture and recreational access. So I hope to surprise you.”In many ways, the national monument controversy on the Western Slope is about more than a national monument.

Source: Daily Sun June 17, 2024 15:50 UTC