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S. 1787 119th Congress Senate

Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act

Official title: A bill to establish the Dolores River National Conservation Area and the Dolores River Special Management Area in the State of Colorado, to protect private wat… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to establish the Dolores River National Conservation Area and the Dolores River Special Management Area in the State of Colorado, to protect private water rights in the State, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 15, 2025 Introduced by: Michael F. Bennet Democratic · Colorado See on congress.gov
Public Lands and Natural Resources Advisory bodiesColoradoCongressional oversightDams and canals
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Forests, forestry, treesGovernment information and archivesHunting and fishingIndian lands and resources rightsLakes and riversLand transfersLand use and conservationLivestockMotor vehiclesOutdoor recreationRoads and highwaysWater storageWater use and supplyWatershedsWilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitatsWildlife conservation and habitat protection
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 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 17, 2025
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
May 15, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
May 15, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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What's happening now December 17, 2025

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act

This bill establishes the Dolores River National Conservation Area and the Dolores River Special Management Area in Colorado to protect certain natural, recreational, scenic, cultural, historical, and other values of the areas.

The conservation area must consist of approximately 52,872 acres of Bureau of Land Management land. The special management area must consist of approximately 15,452 acres of federal land in the San Juan National Forest.

A management plan must be developed for each area. The bill directs the Department of the Interior to allow for the continued use of the areas by members of Indian tribes for traditional ceremonies and as a source of traditional plants and other materials.

Additionally, Interior must manage the portions of the areas identified as Ponderosa Gorge in a manner that maintains its wilderness character, including by prohibiting (1) road construction; (2) the use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment, or mechanical transport; and (3) projects undertaken for the purpose of harvesting commercial timber.

Interior must also establish the Dolores River National Conservation Area Advisory Council.

Finally, the bill releases segments of the Dolores River inside the areas from further study for potential addition to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

 Hearings & markups 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 14

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

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 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Democratic 1
D
Hickenlooper, John W.
Colorado · May 15, 2025
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1787: Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1787/
MLA
"S. 1787: Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1787/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1787, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1787/.
Markdown link
[S. 1787: Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-1787/)
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