A Seat at the Table, Not Just a Chair in the Room
By Aimee Tooker | Commentary, American Policy Center
Coordination is the key to harmonizing land management plans and the strategies of the communities that live and work on federal public lands
From the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado the Dolores River flows through Montezuma, Dolores, San Miguel, Montrose and Mesa counties until the state line with Utah. National and local environmental and rewilding advocates had pushed for almost 50 years for a Wild and Scenic designation on the Dolores River. It never went through because over the course of the years it was decided by the generational locals, municipalities and tax districts that that was not the correct way to manage the river.
The talk of Wild and Scenic designation (most restrictive designation for a river) cau...










![FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B[1]](https://rockymountainvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B1-300x300.png)