# 119-s-1787: Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act

119-s-1787, Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1787
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1787
- Congress: 119
- Title: Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-05-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Creates the Dolores River National Conservation Area and a Dolores River Special Management Area** to protect native fish, whitewater boating, scenic, cultural, and ecological resources while keeping existing water and tribal rights. The bill would set new rules for land use, require coordinated management plans, and formalize local and tribal consultation for river flows and recreation. - Families, landowners, and ranchers: Keeps private property rights intact, preserves grazing permits, and guarantees reasonable access across covered land. The Dolores River Road must remain in its current primitive condition and owners are not required to pay for plan implementation. - Recreation and conservation interests: Establishes roughly 52,900 acres as a National Conservation Area and roughly 15,500 acres as a Special Management Area to conserve native fish and recreation. Motorized travel is limited to designated routes and the agencies must finish long term management plans within 3 years. - Water managers, tribes, and energy stakeholders: Affirms the Dolores Project and McPhee Reservoir operations and protects valid water and treaty rights. It requires regular consultation with the Native Fish Monitoring and Recommendation Team, tribes, and water managers, an annual report on native fish, and preserves existing Department of Energy uranium leases.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Private land and grazing protections: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would say private property owners outside the areas cannot be forced to stop activities just because those activities are visible or audible inside. The Secretary would have to provide reasonable access through covered land when other routes are blocked by physical barriers. Gr…
- New Dolores River conservation areas: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create the Dolores River National Conservation Area (about 52,872 acres) and a Special Management Area (about 15,452 acres). The agencies would prepare maps and legal descriptions, including an NCA map dated December 13, 2024, and file the SMA map with congressional commi…
- Limits on roads, mining, and easements: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would limit motorized use in the covered land to designated routes and ban new permanent or temporary roads except for administration, safety, or reasonable access. It would require the Secretary to keep a named Dolores River Road segment in its current primitive state. The bil…
- Protect Dolores water and native fish: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would keep responsibility for the Dolores Project and McPhee Reservoir with the Interior Secretary and the Dolores Water Conservancy District, and require operations to follow existing contracts, operating agreements, laws, and mitigation. The bill would not change state-decree…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-1787 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1787)

## Related
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1787 (as of 2026-09-10).