Under heavy heat in the desert, and a low gray sky, folks from across the Western Slope are packing into the gymnasium at the West End Public School in Nucla, Colorado.

They’re here to discuss a proposal for a Dolores Canyons National Monument, which could protect a huge swath of canyon country along the river. 

Conservation groups have called for protections along the river for decades, but the idea for a national monument, which can be created through executive action by the sitting president, came about over the last year or so.

Josh Munson came up from Cortez, CO. He’s President of the Dolores River Boating Advocates and has been involved in advocating for the monument. Of the Dolores, Munson says, “I've spent over 20 years exploring it, and it’s one of the most incredible places in the United States. The river rafting community compares it to the Grand Canyon or to the main fork of the Salmon in Idaho. And if those places deserve extra federal protection, the Mighty Dolores absolutely does as well.”

The monument effort has gained traction not only here in Southwest Colorado but across the state and even country. Communities along the river, however, in the West End of San Miguel and Montrose Counties have consistently and vocally opposed the effort. Many feel, in the words of Brenda Littlejohn of Nucla, that the effort represents “the taking of our land.  She continues, “This is mining history. I’m fourth generation. And [the land is our livelihood] here. They've taken away our coal mines. They've taken away Uravan from us. They've taken away everything.” 

It’s true, the federal government has a dubious track record in the area which has been battered by economic change. Today’s gathering  has been organized by US Senator Michael Bennet. A listening session in Naturita earlier this spring was attended by Senator John Hickenlooper. The crowd at that event was quite homogenous, with nearly all speakers voicing opposition to protections. 

Munson hopes for a more balanced conversation today, saying “I'm glad that Senator Bennett has taken the opportunity to encourage both sides to come and speak. There are legitimate viewpoints on both sides of the issue, and I think it's important that Bennet hears directly from people.”

The two sides are clear. Folding chairs in the gymnasium are split by a wide central aisle. With few exceptions attendees on one half carry black and orange signs vowing to ‘Halt the Dolores Monument.’ Across the aisle a sea of blue t-shirts read ‘Protect the Dolores.’ 

Can the two groups speak across the divide? It seems quite possible. Doylene Garvey, a community leader in the Nucla says a monument would bring traffic, development, and regulation to their quiet home. But she hopes for a conversation, asking “let us find a way for common ground.”

“America,” she continues, “the land of the free, is what I want for my grandchildren. Where they can enjoy this land. And I hope that you want the same for your children and grandchildren someday too.” 

Aimee Tooker, also of Nucla, has been a leader in the Halt the Dolores Campaign. She recounts how, when the state of Colorado closed the coal plant in Nucla in 2019, it promised the West End it could chart its own future. Tooker doesn’t say she’s opposed to protections. Rather, she wants them to be drafted here, in the West End.

“If you, Senator Bennet, and Senator Hickenlooper truly want to honor the commitment that the state of Colorado has made to this community, and you want to honor the principle of locally-led conservation that President Biden has laid out in the American Beautiful Initiative, then let us write the plan, and let us design the map.”

Discussion lasts for nearly two hours, with Moderator John Reams drawing names from a plastic box and inviting the next speaker to stand. Bennet works the room throughout the event, note-taking, cracking jokes, and encouraging balance between the room’s left, and it's right. 
Speaking after the event, he says the tenor, and conversation, in this tiny town’s school gymnasium was special. “To be honest,” Bennet says, “I wish the whole country could’ve seen the conversation that took place here tonight because I think people showed up in a very constructive way.” 

Bennet declined to say whether he would take an official stance on the monument, or what that  stance might be. But the senator has long been a champion of public lands in the state, and he says he sees a path forward. 

“I am coming away from this feeling like we can make progress, and make progress that the majority of people can support.”

That progress will take more conversation. But the hour is now 5 pm on a Sunday, and it’s time to return to the tasks of daily life, as the crowd filters out into the thick dessert air and disperses into the evening.