Opportunity to Stop Mine on Colorado River (CO)

Photo by Susie Kincade 

Last month, we reported on the zombie gravel mine that keeps rearing its head on the Colorado River near Dotsero, CO. With your help, we were able to rally over 900 comment letters to Eagle County elected officials in opposition to the mine. At the last hour, the Eagle County Board of County Commissioners had to table the mine proposal at their February 5 meeting due to a clerical error and they moved discussion and vote of the proposed mine to next week, March 11 from 4-6pm at the Eagle County Building, 500 Broadway in Eagle, Colorado. 

If you were one of the many people that have already written a letter, it will be counted and reviewed by the Commission prior to the March 11 meeting. If you have not written a letter telling Eagle County why this mine is a bad idea for the river and the community, you can still do that right here with American Whitewater's easy-to-use every action form! 

You can make your comments exponentially more impactful if you can attend the March 11 Eagle County meeting in person to voice your comments directly to the County Commissioners. You can use our template letter language below as a guide for your comments, but American Whitewater staff are also here to support you if you want direct guidance. Please email kestrel@americanwhitewater.org if you have questions. Public comment will likely occur from 5-6pm, but we encourage you to arrive at 4pm for the meeting. 

Suggested comment language: 

I am here today to comment on the Special Use Permit for a gravel mine proposed by Rincon Materials Inc. on the Colorado River in Dotsero, Colorado. I ask the Eagle County Board of County Commissioners to deny the permit request. 

The proposed mine is adjacent to Dotsero Landing, the site that, in 2011, Eagle County Open Space program stepped in and purchased to maintain Colorado River access. This was vital in distributing the heavy use on the Upper Colorado throughout the reach, and to lessen impacts and crowding at recreation sites. The proposed project is inconsistent with the Dotsero Community Plan, which discourages mining and prioritizes a sustainable outdoor recreation economy. In fact, Eagle County has invested $16 million in recreational upgrades along the Colorado River in Dotsero to support the growing economic contributions from boating, fishing, hunting, wildlife watching, and other types of recreation. The Rincon mine would threaten this significant investment in the river corridor.

This project would diminish the scenery, air quality, wildlife, and overall experience of boaters and recreationists of all types at a site the County has taken great strides to protect in perpetuity. It is located at the gateway to the Upper Colorado Recreation Area, a place where residents and visitors alike go to enjoy the beauty of the river and its watershed. It would be a disgrace for Eagle County to approve this short-lived, high-impact, and unnecessary project.