Help Protect Dolores River Wildlife

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David ThoreauWhat is it we’re after when we go fishing, boating, or walking beside a river? Could it be peace, a feeling of being alive, or a connection with something greater than our self?Rivers are healing to our bodies and souls. It could be the negative ions. Or the joy of seeing the huge flapping wings of a great blue heron. Maybe the fluidity of the water encourages us to let go. Or possibly being in nature where there are no walls or ceilings lets something in us expand.Would we feel the same if there was no water in the river? I think not.Some rivers are meant to have water flowing all year long, and the Dolores is one of them. Its life-giving water provides a home for a wide range of wildlife including frogs, river otters, migratory birds and three sensitive fish species: the roundtail chub, flannelmouth sucker and bluehead sucker. If we humans took all of the water out of the river for our own uses, we would be responsible for killing thousands of living organisms.Two agencies realized the need for minimum instream flows in the Dolores River to maintain populations of rare fish. Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management conducted extensive research on a stretch of the river between Uravan and Gateway. They also took into account human needs for the water. This led the agencies to make flow recommendations to the Colorado Water Conservation Board.The CWCB agreed with the agencies’ science-based judgment. Part of their reasoning was the instream flows could help prevent an Endangered Species Act listing of these fish as threatened or endangered.Several groups are contesting the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s proposed appropriation. These include John S. Hendricks & Western Sky Investments, LLC, the Colorado River Water Conservation District and the Southwestern Water Conservation District. These last two are agencies funded by Colorado taxpayer dollars.Sheep Mountain Alliance has applied for and been granted “party status,” so we’ll be able to officially stand up for minimum instream flows in the Dolores. In the past, SMA helped successfully challenge agencies’ protests of instream flows on the San Miguel River.You can help us in this fight to keep water in the Dolores River. Write to the CWCB and let them know how you feel! See sample talking points below. If you send your letter to SMA by Aug. 14, we'll have it entered into the record for the September hearing. Also, please let me know if you'd like to speak at the hearing, which will be in Montrose on September 15, 16 or 17, 2015. You can also become a member, or donate here. Together we can make a difference!Leigh Robertson, Executive Director, Leigh(at)SheepMountainAlliance.orgDolores River In-Stream Flow Information and Talking Points From Uravan to Gateway, Colorado, the Dolores River flows past stunning redrock cliffs and through fertile riparian areas. This stretch contains one of the best populations of native fish in the state. Species of special concern such as the roundtail chub, bluehead and flannelmouth suckers need a certain minimum amount of water to survive.The Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife conducted extensive studies on this stretch of the river. The two agencies made specific recommendations to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) on the minimum in-stream flows needed for these fish and other aquatic life to endure.The CWCB staff agreed that the flows made sense and wouldn’t harm existing water rights. Several groups are contesting the recommendations. Some are even suggesting that the CWCB should provide carve-outs, which would first set aside water for future unknown users.Tell the CWCB:

•     You support the in-stream flow recommendations
•     You don’t support carve-outs
•     Please table any decision on carve-outs until after the Dolores in-stream flow hearing in September 2015.

Here’s an example of a personal comment:I strongly support preservation of the Dolores River, which is a special Colorado resource appreciated by people across the country. In-stream flows are critical to ecosystem health, protecting threatened and sensitive species, and regional economic stability. I ask that you approve the Dolores River in-stream flows appropriation as recommended by the Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife without any proposed “carve-outs,” which would allow future speculative water rights to gain priority over the in-stream flows and which would provide less water for threatened fish species in the future.Also, please attend and consider speaking at the CWCB hearing in Montrose, CO. It will most likely be held on September 15, but could be on September 16 or 17. We’ll post details as they become available here or join SMA's email list to keep informed (usually 1-2 emails/month; in your email server, please allow emails from leigh(AT)sheepmountainalliance.org). Thank you!