Newest National Conservation Area Dedicated in Colorado

During his time as a U.S. Senator from Colorado, Salazar was instrumental in creating the new national conservation area, which includes 66,280 acres set aside as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness.

Salazar worked with the local communities to craft legislation to designate the area in a manner that was supported by all interests. The bill was part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, approved by Congress on March 25. The new national conservation are was designated March 30.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Delta County Commissioner Jan McCracken at the dedication ceremony. (Photo courtesy DOI)

County commissioners and federal agency personnel as well as local residents helped to shape the bill, said Delta County Commissioner Jan McCracken, who in July 2008 testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee in support of the Dominguez-Escalante legislation. The protected area also extends across parts of Mesa and Montrose counties.

The legislation allows for continued grazing in the new national conservation area, protects private property rights and access to inholdings, allows for continued invasive species control and fire prevention actions, and protects existing water rights.

"The designation of Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area is one of the best examples of grassroots collaboration and local stewardship in our nation, and I am proud I was involved in the effort," Salazar said.

The Dominguez Canyon Wilderness offers explorers red rock canyons and sandstone bluffs, streams, waterfalls, spectacular geologic features, ecological diversity and archaeological and paleontological sites spanning 600 million years.

Known for its herds of desert bighorn sheep and ancient rock art illustrating the area's cultural history, the area's serpentine redrock sandstone canyons slice into some of the wildest quarters of the Uncompahgre Plateau west of Montrose and Delta.

The Escalante, Cottonwood, Little Dominguez and Big Dominguez creeks cascade through sandstone canyon walls. Nearly 30 miles of the Gunnison River flow through the NCA and serve as the boundary for the wilderness, although the river is not part of the designated wilderness.

A view of the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness (Photo by Leeann Hill courtesy The Conservation Alliance)

The NCA also encompasses part of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail, a 19th century land trade route.

The area is inhabited by desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, golden eagles, wild turkey, elk, mountain lion, black bear, and the collared lizard.

The national conservation area designation will protect the geologic, historic and cultural sites within it, while allowing the BLM to continue to manage the land for multiple-use recreation and maintaining traditional ranching lifestyles.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter praised this morning's dedication of the new national conservation area. "The Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area is a magnificent addition to our country's public lands system and a prime Colorado example of how to balance conservation and traditional uses," he said.

Art Stephens of Grand Junction describes his experience of Dominguez Canyon on the website of the Colorado Environmental Coalition. "When I look down into that massive, scenic canyon and wildlife refuge, I am overwhelmed by a sensation of spaciousness and an awareness of the passage of time. The sheer walls bear witness to eons of geologic time. In the distant, but more immediate, past were the pioneers and Native Americans who went into that canyon, leaving behind signs of their passage-cabins, mines, petroglyphs, arrowheads. It is only fitting that we should set aside a wilderness preserve in their honor."

The designation has the support of the mountain biking community, who worked to influence details of the legislation. Conservationists worked with the International Mountain Biking Association to preserve biking opportunities within the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area.

"After a long haul and much negotiation I'm thrilled to see this legislation finally pass," Grand Junction mountain biking advocate Chris Herrman said in March. "Those of us on the western slope are particularly excited to see the Dominguez-Escalante NCA join the existing McInnis Canyons NCA in accommodating a variety of recreational uses, including mountain biking, while protecting the integrity of the local environment and helping to further diversify our economy."

The designating legislation directs the BLM to develop a resource management plan for the national conservation area and wilderness.

The plan will describe the appropriate uses and management of the national conservation area and will include a comprehensive travel management plan.

The BLM promises that the resource management plan will be developed through "extensive public input" and will consider information obtained through studies of lands within the conservation area.

In addition, Secretary Salazar will establish a citizen advisory council to advise the BLM in development of the resource management plan.

"The National Landscape Conservation System, of which these lands are now a part, includes areas that not only represent the crown jewels of BLM lands, but also serve as economic engines for local communities," Salazar said. "The Dominguez-Escalante area, with its rugged desert landscapes and rich culture, is a treasure that we can be proud to protect for future generations."

Copyright Environment News Service, ENS, 2009. All rights reserved.