A big save

Here’s a little bit of good news in a week where it seems like the world is going to, well, garbage. An iconic headwaters in the San Juan Mountains has been saved from getting trashed in perpetuity.

This week, the San Jan National Forest announced it has acquired 160 acres of “iconic mountain meadow” bordering the Lizard Head Wilderness, southwest of Telluride. Known as Dunton Meadows, with views of Mount Wilson and El Diente, the previously private land is important not only for its viewshed but because it serves as the headwaters of the Dolores River. The acquisition will help protect a crucial source of clean, cold water for native cutthroat trout in a Dolores River tributary called Coal Creek.

The deal was orchestrated by the Western Rivers Conservancy, which along with the SJNF, launched an effort to conserve Dunton Meadows in 2021. WRC purchased the property in May 2023 then worked with the Forest Service to secure funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other sources. The land was then conveyed to the SJNF.

“In addition to being a spectacular alpine meadow with sweeping views, Dunton Meadows is a vital cold-water savings vault for the area’s fish and wildlife,” Allen Law, of the Western Rivers Conservancy, said. “Alpine wetlands like this are rarer than ever, so protecting what we still have is critical to river systems like the Dolores.”

Dunton Meadows sits at roughly 10,000 feet in elevation about 25 miles from Telluride, between the East and West forks of the Dolores. The meadow serves as a cold-water “sponge” that collects, cools, filters and gradually releases snowmelt. The subalpine meadow is also habitat for elk, deer, bear, lynx and other fuzzy critters. In addition, the property is bisected by a road that connects hikers to two popular San Juan hikes: the Navajo Lake Trail and the Kilpacker Trail. 

“Dunton Meadows is ecologically irreplaceable for the role it serves in the Dolores River watershed,” Dolores District Ranger Nick Mustoe said. “The property’s importance for fish and wildlife in the Dolores River system is only matched by its important contribution to water quality and quantity for downstream municipalities.” 

The Dunton Meadows property has been a top priority for years, and keeping it intact allows it to continue its small but crucial role in the health of the Dolores River system, according to the SJNF.