To the Editor,
I am writing to elevate the importance of protecting the Dolores Canyons region as a national monument.
As a student at the University of Denver, I remember touring both the school and the beautiful state of Colorado with a wide-eyed, open-hearted type of wonder. Hailing from the midwest, I had never seen a mountain with my own eyes, nor had I explored their lush alpine landscapes. The first time I did, I knew that this part of nature was something greater than me, something that warranted both respect and protection. The mountains, canyonlands, and rivers of Colorado are this state’s pride and joy. They provide us with resources not just necessary for survival, but for truly living. The rush of a glacial stream, the soft-padded hoofprints of an elk, the unique symbiosis of moss and lichen, the humbling prowess of a Ponderosa pine, the sweet melodies of a black-capped chickadee–these things are worth more than any currency or monetary value.
It is for these reasons I chose to study Environmental Science. It is for these reasons I am a volunteer at the non-profit Environment Colorado whose aim is to protect these Coloradan landscapes. And it is for these reasons I write, urging students, faculty, staff, Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet–anyone who will listen–to use their voices and influence to protect the Dolores River Canyon Country in Mesa and Montrose counties. We as humans are intricately woven within the threads of our environment, our past, present, and future reliant on the strength of the stitches, and the decisions we decide to sew together.
The Dolores River Canyon faces needle-sharp threats of uranium mining and other extractive activities, development and recreation over-use that can and will degrade the biodiversity and life-giving qualities of this canyonland. The flowing waters of the Dolores connect to our Colorado River, supporting seven different states and two countries. Risks of pollution from development do not just affect those in the vicinity of the Dolores or even just Coloradans. It affects millions of individuals, farmers, indigenous peoples, animals and plants. This is not an issue that we can allow to be “out of sight, out of mind.” Even though we are Denverites, sequestered in a busy city of fast-paced living and constant movement, we are reliant on the similarly fast-paced waters that sustain us. The Dolores may flow west, but the issues on the other side of the mountains can climb higher and higher, until they snowball down the slope and meet us at our apartment doors.
I believe that not every acre of land needs to be mined, developed, or somehow manipulated by man. In fact, I believe that some places are so important that we must do all we can to ensure they remain as they are today. The Dolores River Canyon Country is one of those places. Our world is rapidly changing, both climatically, socially and physically. Let us not fool ourselves and think that this area will remain as it is if we don’t act now to protect it– that is simply not true. Action brings change; silence brings nothing. We are at a point now where we can act to sow the seeds of change. We must protect this part of Colorado before it is too late, before our silence brings deafening consequences.
To the editor, to students and activists, and to Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, I urge you to petition to make the Dolores River Canyon a National Monument. The resources and waters of our Coloradoan landscapes are not infinite, nor is the time we have to initiate change. The time to act is — and has always been — now.
Most sincerely,
Liz Hoffman
