Dolores River Boating Advocates

General: Dolores River Boating Advocates (DRBA) envisions permanent protections and conservation for the Dolores River and surrounding landscape that support recreation, equitable access, healthy flows, and resilient habitat for the benefit of the diverse human and ecological communities that depend on and value the Dolores now and into the future. DRBA is a small but mighty community-based organization with great big passion for the Dolores River and the canyon country that surrounds it. DRBA has a unique niche as a local conservation and whitewater boating advocacy group - we are the only group solely focused on the Dolores River landscape, and we are dedicated to working collaboratively toward lasting solutions. We help bring people together around complicated issues facing the Dolores River and we serve as a voice for the river. We educate the public and provide valuable recreational information to those rafting the Dolores River. Advocacy: Our advocacy work is focused on securing long-term protection for the Dolores River Canyon Country below McPhee Reservoir, and guarding against potential damaging development proposals related to the river and adjacent public lands. -For many years we have worked with a myriad of local stakeholders on a National Conservation Area proposal for the southern portion of the Dolores River landscape and hoped that the bill would pass in 2024. We advocated for the bill alongside the Counties, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, ranchers, water managers, recreationists, other conservation organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders. This bi-partisan legislation that would protect a portion of the lower Dolores River in Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel Counties, including 76 river miles and almost 70,000 acres, came very close to passing at the end of 2024, but unfortunately did not. We expect this bill to be reintroduced early in the next Congress in 2025. --Through our work with the Dolores River Coalition (which is made up of local, regional, and national conservation and recreation organizations that have an interest in protecting the Dolores River), in 2024 we were also heavily engaged in discussions about permanent protections for the Dolores River landscape in Mesa and Montrose Counties to the north of the existing NCA legislation. The monument proposal developed the year before was met with both support and concern. After both Colorado Senators visited the landscape and met with community members, the discussion pivoted to the consideration of an NCA in the north as well. --We served as the co-chair of the Native Fish Monitoring and Recommendation Team in 2024, which is a collaborative science-based group that works to benefit native fish and the river environment downstream of McPhee Reservoir. --We engaged Tribal perspectives, voices, and leadership in our advocacy work and protection campaigns. --In 2024, DRBA kicked off scoping for an ethnography project that works with a local anthropologist and regional Tribes/Pueblos/Nations with a connection to the Dolores River. The larger project funding was solidified, and initial planning and field visits occurred. The goal of this project is to integrate Tribal knowledge into future management of the Dolores River corridor. --DRBA consistently monitors activities to the Bureau of Land Management lands in the Dolores River Basin. In 2024, DRBA signed onto a letter with other organizations supporting the Resource Management Plan for the Uncompahgre Field Office and wrote a supportive letter to the Bureau of Land Management Tres Rios Field Office on their rule changes regarding recreation on the Dolores River. Stewardship and Partnerships: DRBA partners with both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service on various on the ground projects that not only have positive effects for the river and recreational boating access but also connect volunteers to the landscape in meaningful ways. In 2024 we had the following accomplishments: --Coordinated and conducted the annual lower Dolores campsite improvement trip in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to maintain river camp visibility, quality, and safety along the river between the confluence with the San Miguel River and the town of Gateway. --Continued supporting the USFS by providing a bathroom for the 5-month high use period at a popular river take-out adjacent to the town of Dolores. --Continued to financially support the maintenance of a USGS river gauge at Slick Rock which is important for both recreational and ecological purposes. --Held a stewardship event at the Big Gypsum boat launch that engaged 12 people and included clearing willows from the boat ramp and cleaning up the recreation site.--Sat on the Advisory Committee for the regional Montelores Coalition in the recreational boating seat. The Montelores Coalition is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife sponsored process that looks to support Colorado Communities as they plan for future outdoor tourism that supports conservation. Youth Education Programming: We offer three types of programs under the umbrella of what we call the DRBA River School including youth and family river trips, in-class instruction paired with a fieldtrip, and two sessions of an immersive three-day summer camp. We are part of the Montezuma Inspire Coalition which has the overall goal of addressing barriers to get all youth in our communities in the outdoors. --All of these programs are free to all youth/schools/teachers, and we work hard to engage a diversity of youth and families with the river both in the classroom and in the outdoors. --This was the first year we were able to offer two sessions of summer camp and serve over twice as many youths in the process. We also continued our river trip and Paddle Day programs with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to provided fun paddle experiences in partnership with the Tribes summer youth program. --These programs are impacting youth in local communities in a meaningful way and inspiring future stewards of the river. --We served over 600 youth and family members through all of these programs in 2024 and we engaged 20 volunteers during the implementation of our youth programs. Outreach and General Education: --In January we once again held our annual Permit Party and Silent Auction Fundraiser event in Dolores, CO. Over 225 people attended the event which included a band, a silent auction, a film and education about Dolores River landscape issues, and local food and beverages. We engaged 35 volunteers for planning, setup and cleanup, and production of the event. --Several years ago, we produced and released the new official river guide for the Dolores River. After selling out, the proceeds were used to produce an updated version in 2024 which was again made available to the public. The guide provides needed information and education to run the river, while also educating the whitewater boating public about efforts to protect this amazing resource. --We were a sponsor of and participated in the Dolores River Festival in 2024. We had an outreach booth and provided free raft rides for over 100 community members as part of this event. 30 volunteers helped with that effort. --We held general outreach and education events about issues impacting the Dolores River region in Durango attended by 20 people, in Cortez attended by 45 people, and in Montrose attended by 12 people. --We hosted a River of Sorrow film screening and discussion in Towaoc attended by 10 people and another in Dolores attended by 35 people.