S1787-119

What This Bill Does

Establishes the Dolores River National Conservation Area and a Dolores River Special Management Area in Colorado, assigns BLM and Forest Service management duties, creates an advisory council, protects valid existing rights, preserves Dolores Project and McPhee Reservoir operations, limits motorized use to designated routes or emergencies, and clarifies that private property and regulatory authority are not expanded.

Who Benefits and How

Dolores River recreation users benefit from conservation-area and special-management-area designations that preserve river landscapes while maintaining designated access. Wildlife, fisheries, scenic, cultural, and riparian-resource conservation interests benefit from management standards for BLM and Forest Service land. Local governments, Tribal representatives, agricultural interests, conservation users, and recreation users benefit from seats or input through the Dolores River National Conservation Area Advisory Council. Dolores Project users and McPhee Reservoir operators benefit because the bill preserves existing Bureau of Reclamation responsibilities and water operations. Private landowners benefit from explicit protection against new implementation costs or new federal regulatory authority over private property.

Who Bears the Burden and How

BLM land managers and Forest Service land managers must administer the new conservation and special management areas, develop or revise management plans, coordinate with the advisory council, and enforce motorized-use limits. Motorized recreation users bear restrictions because covered land is limited to routes designated for motorized use except for administration or emergencies. Future mineral, infrastructure, or incompatible land-use interests may face more scrutiny under conservation-area management. Advisory Council members must meet and provide recommendations without receiving regulatory authority.

Key Provisions

• Defines the Dolores River Conservation Area, Special Management Area, Council, Secretary, State, and related covered lands.
• Establishes the Dolores River National Conservation Area on BLM-administered land in Colorado.
• Requires the Interior Secretary to manage the Conservation Area under FLPMA and the Act's conservation purposes.
• Creates the Dolores River National Conservation Area Advisory Council.
• Establishes a Dolores River Special Management Area managed by the Agriculture Secretary under forest law and this Act.
• Limits motorized vehicle use on covered land to designated routes, administrative needs, or emergencies.
• Preserves Dolores Project, McPhee Reservoir, water rights, valid existing rights, private property, and existing regulatory authorities.