Approximately 100 people attended a public meeting in the West End at the Nucla Community Center Jan. 22, regarding the idea of a proposed national conservation area (NCA) that could be established along the Dolores River. Montrose County Commissioner Sue Hansen officiated the meeting, and all Montrose County Commissioners were present, including Rick Dunlap and Scott Mijares.
The panel of the NCA working group sat at the front to field questions, and Hansen stated at the opening “civility and resect” were needed. The point, Hansen said, was to catch the community up on the work, demystify the working group and have an “honest and open conversation,” one that respects all values and points of views.
She said the working group met about 12 times total, 10 for meetings and two with legislators. The working group has included her, Mesa County Commissioner Cody Davis, Paul Szilagyi, Aimee Tooker, Craig Howell, Alan Sisson, Janie VanWinkle, Jody Weimer, John Reams, national resources experts Justin Musser and Amber Swasey, and GIS specialists Lisa Goetch and Sam Redmond.
Hansen admitted the group originally wanted no designation at all for the land, but “pending pressures” created an urgency to “do something.” Hansen said several times initiating work on the NCA helped block any national monument designation.
She acknowledged the monument has been stopped for now, but feels there’s still work to do. She said all in the West End must stay informed, join committees and be “stronger together.”
Szilagyi thanked Sean Pond for his work in helping to stop the monument through his activism of Halt the Dolores National Monument. VanWinkle agreed it was a big accomplishment the monument wasn’t designated. She thanked all who “showed up and spoke up.” She said an NCA looks like a better option, but is there another option?
“We have to understand there are consequences to each option,” VanWinkle said. “We can’t afford to do nothing.”
Hansen read a letter from Reams, who couldn’t be present. Reams said he favored the NCA, and it gives time to fight “land grabs.”
Others in the working group also spoke.
In the public comment, Tawnia Welch said she knew the NCA discussion had been ongoing for years. She wondered if the current proposal was the same size as the original. It was determined the current proposal is much less acreage — 40,000 acres — and nothing has been submitted yet.
“Will you listen to all voices?” John Reed asked the working group.
VanWinkle said they would.
“I think it’s critical we hear what you are saying,” VanWinkle said. “That’s why we’re here. We need your solutions … “
Tooker said that “absolutely, everyone has a say-so.” She especially wants to hear from taxing districts who’ve been affected by the coal economy.
Trisha Murray, of Montrose, asked about the consequences of “doing nothing,” and not establishing an NCA.
VanWinkle said her opinion is that the local area would be “under the gun again in another four years for a monument.”
Murray also asked if there were any guarantee that the NCA will protect the area from gaining monument status in the future afterward. VanWinkle said death and taxes are the only certainties, though she added it takes legislation to make designations — and to change them too, which can take time.
“If we do nothing, they’ll be back,” VanWinkle said.
“What I’m hearing you say is you can’t put the language in that says it can’t be a monument,” Murray said.
Murray also inquired about the short timeline of the working group, and the push that initiated the NCA discussion. Hansen said it was because Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper were set to present a public lands package to legislators.
Doris VanNess asked why Pond wasn’t included in the working group, since he was instrumental for Halt the Dolores National Monument and his political activism.
“I felt like you were hiding something,” VanNess said. “Nobody fought harder against the monument than that man.”
Hansen said the current working group can be dissolved and anyone can join it. She said she hadn’t invited Pond because of some of his “egregious” social media posts. Hansen said she agreed Pond has been a critical piece.
When Pond stepped up to the mic, he said he was originally for an NCA in the beginning, because the NCA seemed less restrictive. He said after traveling and speaking out, he spoke with representatives from the Blue Ribbon Coalition, and learned things — like Bears Ears beginning as an NCA.
“I don’t think we need an NCA,” he said. “There is nothing in an NCA that prevents a monument. … Nothing can be written in the language, because it would get stuck in committee.”
Pond said people “way up the food chain” asked him not to surrender “one inch of our land, because it sends a signal” that locals are ready to compromise.
“We said 'no' to a national monument, and we didn’t get one,” he said. “I want to be a part of a community that says ‘no, you can’t have my land.’”
Miranda Fengel said it would be important the NCA process is “community-driven,” and she asked for the fine print on the details. She asked about future meeting schedules and community engagement too.
Hansen said there’s no script yet.
Doylene Garvey said if it weren’t for the working group, President Joe Biden would’ve probably signed a monument designation.
“You stepped up and did your best to hold it off,” she said.
She urged community members to become involved, join committees and boards and stand up “to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Naturita Mayor Gene Greenwood said he applauded Pond as a big contributor for why the monument didn’t happen, but he said Tooker had also done a fantastic job too. He told the crowd the Town of Naturita has an MOU with the BLM, meaning the town gets a seat at the table to counteract proposals and find fault with them. He agreed the community needs to unite and work together.
Kendra Ballard said she wants to move past the “us/them false dichotomy” and thanked the working group. She said community members need to educate themselves on government policies, like the BLM’s areas of critical environmental concern (ACECs) to prevent outside environmentalists’ interference.
Nucla Town Manager Melissa Lampshire said she’d like to see elected officials in the NCA working group.
Mijares said he came to listen, and all should pat themselves on the back.
“You are an amazing group of people,” he said. “You are the stewards of this land. Nobody loves it more than you do.”
He said the Trump Administration aims to be “energy superior around the world,” and this could be an opportunity for the West End to protect their resources for national security.
Swasey told the crowd that the NCA proposed map is on the Mesa County website and that “substantive comments” are needed. She asked for people to read examples of what that might look like, because substantive comments help the movement to “have standing.”
Hansen said in closing comments the work was not “simple.” She again acknowledged Tooker and Pond. She finished by saying that it’s easy to protest, but what’s needed is for the community to “dig in and be engaged.”
The tone of the meeting was indeed civil and respectful, and no hateful comments or inappropriate behavior occurred. Law enforcement quietly stood by and observed, however.
