Aimee Tooker didn’t just join the “Halt the Dolores Monument” group recently. Tooker, a community leader in the West End, has been in conversations about the monument since last summer, though she told the Forum she’s currently speaking out on behalf of herself at this point and not organizations she belongs to. A board member of the state’s Just Transition Advisory Committee and the West End Economic Development Corporation, she also owns a business.
Tooker has been aware that previously a National Conservation Area (NCA) was proposed for the Dolores River. She said the NCA has been discussed for 15-20 years. It’s been hard for counties, like Montezuma or Montrose, to agree to the NCA though, because of the proposed boundary and also water rights. And, the West End has been worried about mining and exploration limits.
Both Republicans and Democrats have a version of a local NCA on their plates now, and Tooker has compared notes on the two. She said they’re identical.
But recently, the Protect the Dolores River Coalition began pushing for a national monument in the region, rather than an NCA, so Tooker began doing more research.
Congress can approve a monument by vote, but Tooker is worried local groups are going to push President Biden to sign off on a monument immediately. With 730,000 people visiting the Grand Junction National Monument last year, she wonders what will happen to the West End area when “bucket listers” then flock to the Dolores River. She has other questions too.
According to House Bill 23-1247, there’s a plan to study advanced energy solutions in rural Colorado, and a local monument seems to violate that. Tooker believes the U.S. needs access to clean power sources, and the Uravan Mineral Belt can assist with those solutions. She doesn’t understand why the proposed monument boundaries don’t stay with the Dolores River, but expand to encompass energy reserves. The monument boundaries in the most recent map did overlay the Uravan Mineral Belt.
Tooker said she isn’t against conservation, but consent is needed. She said nobody in the West End wants a monument “shoved down their throats.”
What’s more is she’s researched President Biden’s “America the Beautiful” plan, which “(works) to restore, connect and conserve 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030,” and she said the Dolores River National Monument proposal doesn’t follow the guidelines. Tooker has studied those and created a report as a rebuttal.
She said the current monument proposal is not “collaborative,” or “for the benefit of all.” She added it isn’t “locally designed or led,” if it leaves out the West End. Furthermore, are the tribal nations taken into consideration?
Tooker has more talking points that speak to the guidelines, and they include a lack of completed studies, economic and environmental. Studies would start after a monument declaration, however, but Tooker believes they need to be done now.
Other things concern her: the burgeoning mountain biking community would lose connectivity options under monument status, existing and future mining jobs would disappear — as would water storage options, grazing permits, and plans for keeping the local economy diverse.
She said the NCA is the wisest idea, and one that could be studied as far as visitors and tax-dollar money go. She said that would be a better starting point than a monument.
Tooker spoke at both the recent Gateway and Naturita “Halt the Dolores Monument” meetings. She spoke March 9 in Paradox too.
She’s also talking to proponents. Tooker was in a meeting with Amber Clark, of Dolores River Boating Advocates, and also Mason Osgood, of Sheep Mountain Alliance. Tooker brought up negotiation of the NCA Feb. 14, but Clark refused.
“She told me the NCA ship has sailed, and they have momentum for their cause,” Tooker said.
Tooker also went to the Montrose County Board of Commissioners meeting March 11, and spoke after Scott Braden, of Colorado Wildlands Project, also for the monument. Afterward, Tooker planned to have lunch with Braden to keep the conversation going.
Dolores River Boating Advocates, Sheep Mountain Alliance and Colorado Wildlands Project are all entities part of the Protect the Dolores River Coalition.
