The Dolores Board of Trustees on April 28 unanimously passed a resolution in “strong support” of public lands.
“All it does is say that we as a town are committed to protecting what’s here,” said Town Manager Leigh Reeves.
The resolution, R653, recognizes that public lands comprise roughly 72% of land in Montezuma County and are “integral to the town’s economy, environment and quality of life.”
“Residents … deeply value these public lands,” the resolution reads. “Costs associated with managing these lands are a national responsibility, and federal involvement is crucial for the long-term health and sustainability of these resources.”
“There are ongoing attempts to transfer or sell off public lands, which are inconsistent with the values and interests of the residents of the Town of Dolores and the broader Colorado community,” it says.
The board plans to send the resolution to U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennett, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd.
“It says, even though we’re a tiny town in the southwest corner of the state, we support this,” Reeves said.
The resolution also is about “balancing sustainable outdoor recreation and conservation of natural and cultural resources,” as stated on the Montelores Coalition’s website.
Reeves said the Montelores Coalition inspired the resolution. “Let’s be thoughtful of our public lands, and let’s not develop to develop,” she told The Journal.
According to the resolution, Dolores is close to “75 miles of maintained recreation trails of the Boggy Draw Trail System as part of the approximately 1.8 million acres of San Juan National Forest.”
It highlights the BLM’s Tres Rios Field Office, “which manages 628 miles of rivers and streams and 500,000 acres of lands open to livestock grazing,” McPhee Reservoir and the 174,000 acres of land and more than 8,300 archaeological sites in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Public land in Colorado “generated $65.8 billion in economic output, contributed $36.5 billion to the state’s GOP, supported 404,000 jobs, and generated $11.2 billion in tax revenue” in 2023, according to the Colorado Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.
Also on April 28, the Board of Trustees appointed Ryan Greene as the new building official, after considering Resolution No. R652.
Greene, who has more than a decade of experience in building administration and construction, including roles as a consultant for Stantec Consulting and as the chief building official for Prescott, Arizona, will serve as an independent contractor at a rate of $42 per hour. According to the resolution, duties will include inspecting properties and enforcing town building codes.
