Denver, CO
One of Colorado’s least-visited canyonlands could become a national monument — but would that lead to overcrowding?
Those who love the Dolores River canyonlands agree — the swath of rugged land along Colorado’s western border is one of the state’s last, best wild places.
The tract encompasses staggering red rock cliffs, broad valleys and rolling hills that burst into green in the spring. Cutting through it all is the beloved river, which sometimes dwindles to a trickle.
Nobody wants to see it overrun with tourists and trash, like so many of the West’s wild places.
But disagreements about whether to designate some of the river and its canyonlands as a national monument have driven a caustic rift between the people who love the area. What those protections look like, and who gets to shape them, are at the center of a fiery debate that, in some instances, has sunk to name-calling and declarations of evil doing.
Recreation and conservation organizations want to designate nearly 400,000 acres, or 625 square miles, of the federal lands along the river as a national monument, allowing for more robust management and protection of the land. If approved, the monument would be the largest in the state and would nearly double the total acreage of monuments in Colorado.
The Dolores River canyonlands are one of the largest, most biodiverse swaths of lands without federal protections, advocates for the monument say. They worry that without further federal regulations, increased recreation, mining and development could threaten the integrity of the landscape.
“It’s a pretty incredible, intact landscape,” said Mike Fiebig with American Rivers, a nonprofit group that supports the monument designation. “We don’t have a lot of that anymore.”
Sean Pond, organizer of the Halt the Dolores Monument campaign, agrees. He can drive and hike for dozens of miles in the area outside of his home in Nucla without seeing anyone.
But Pond and thousands of other campaign opponents worry that a monument designation eventually would impact livestock grazing and limit a decades-dormant mining industry that could be revived with the recent rise in the price of uranium.
Or, worse, that creating a monument would draw the hordes of tourists that the landscape needs protection from.
“They come with a noble cause — they want to protect the Dolores River canyon,” Pond said of monument supporters. “So do we. We live here.”
Two efforts to protect river corridor
The monument proposal is one of two efforts to offer greater protection to the lands around the Dolores River.
The Dolores springs from headwaters in the San Juan Mountains near Telluride and flows southwest until it reaches the town of Dolores. From the small town, it turns north and meanders, eventually nearing Colorado’s western border, before crossing into Utah and joining the Colorado River northeast of Moab.
Colorado’s two U.S. senators last year introduced legislation nearly two decades in the making. It would designate a smaller swath of 68,000 acres along the southern Dolores River as a national conservation area and special management area. The area includes the river and its surrounding lands in Montezuma, San Miguel and Dolores counties.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in December approved the widely supported bill and recommended the full Senate pass it.
Two counties — Mesa and Montrose — dropped out of conversations about the national conservation area years before the bill was introduced, however.
In response, a coalition of recreation and conservation nonprofit organizations crafted the monument proposal for the lands around the northern sections of the river in those two counties. In 2022, the coalition began organizing support for the monument designation in Mesa and Montrose counties, home to about 202,000 people.
Unlike conservation areas, the designation of a new national monument on federal land doesn’t need congressional approval and can be created unilaterally by the president. Presidents have designated 163 monuments across the country, including nine in Colorado.
The Dolores River monument designation is necessary to protect wildlife, ecosystems and tribal connections and resources, monument supporters said.
“This landscape is one Instagram influencer away from being overrun, so let’s get the conservation right before it a problem,” said Scott Braden, director of Colorado Wildlands Project and one of the monument campaign’s organizers.
According to the proposal, the lands would be managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service — as they are now — and subject to a management plan created by the entities with an opportunity for public comment. The monument would not charge entrance fees, according to the Protect the Dolores website. Livestock grazing would still be permitted, as would biking and use of motorized vehicle routes.
The government would honor existing and valid mining claims, though it would not allow new mining claims. The draft map of the proposed monument was crafted to exclude the majority of the existing mining claims, Braden said.
“We think there are places that shouldn’t be mined in this landscape … but we’re also leaving (out) a ton of areas that we think are most likely to see future mining,” he said.
So far, the coalition has collected more than 85,000 signatures and letters of support from 150 businesses, as well as some state and local politicians. Both of Colorado’s senators this year have traveled to the Western Slope to hear about the plan and talk with locals.
The Native American tribes with land in Colorado support the monument, too. Both the Ute Mountain Ute and the Southern Ute lived in the area of the proposed monument, said Regina Whiteskunk, a member of the Ute Mountain Ute and a former tribal councilmember.
The land needs to be kept as close to its natural state as possible, she said.
“This landscape provided everything for us and we survived that way for hundreds of years,” she said. “And now we’re trying to do right by the land.”
Advocates are hoping President Joe Biden will turn his attention to the idea before the November election. While Biden has designated five new national monuments — including the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument north of Leadville — former President Donald Trump, who’s the likely Republican nominee again this year, created a single monument and reduced the size of another while in office.
The coalition believes the monument would help local communities by boosting outdoor recreation economies, while continuing the mining and ranching industries.
Distrust and name calling
But some in the small towns along the proposed monument’s boundary don’t buy those claims.
Pond is not sure the land needs more protections. The area’s minimal tourists need little management now, he said, but he fears that designating a monument would act as a siren call to the hundreds of thousands of RVers, bikers, motocrossers and hikers that descend on nearby Moab every year.
Visitation to the area increased in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many people to seek wilderness solitude, Pond said. People were camped “every-freakin’-where” that year, Pond said, but the fervor has since calmed. There is no true tourism industry in the area, he said.
Pond and others with Halt the Dolores fear that despite promises from the monument advocates, access and use regulations will change in the future. Nearly 8,000 people have signed Pond’s petition to halt the designation. County commissioners from Mesa County and Montrose County passed resolutions opposing the monument, though the mayor of Grand Junction — the largest population center in the area — supports the monument and traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to lobby for its creation.
Even if grazing is still allowed on the land, changes to motorized access could affect the feasibility of reaching cattle or maintaining ranching equipment, Pond said. Or, if the monument designation grandfathers a mining claim, blocked access could make it useless.
“They’ve said we’re spreading misinformation,” Pond said. “But I’m just spreading the other side of the truth.”
Pond also opposes a ban on new mining activity. With the price of uranium rising, the towns along the uranium belt could see a mining boom. Minimum-wage tourism jobs are not the same as the potential six-figure mining jobs such a boom could bring.
In a post on social media, Pond alleged that a monument designation would lead to entrance fees and closed-off lands, roads and trails.
Colorado’s nine national monuments cover a combined 490,000 acres and vary widely in size and management. The five created before the turn of the century are managed by the National Parks Service and the four created since are managed by the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service. Five of the nine charge an entrance fee.
Braden, from the Colorado Wildlands Project, said the monument, as proposed, would not be operated similarly to the Colorado National Monument, which is heavily developed and sits just outside Grand Junction. A better comparison would be to the Camp Hale or Canyons of the Ancients national monuments.
The debate over the monument has resulted in name calling and harassment, both sides said.
On Facebook, Pond has called supporters of the monument “eco-terrorists” and called Braden a “parasite” and “the embodiment of evil.” Others opposing the monument have called local businesses that support the monument a “cancer on the community.”
When asked about the posts, Pond said his emotions have sometimes gotten away from him and that he’s trying to be more politically correct.
He did not apologize and said that if his language brings attention to his cause, “then so be it.”
Pond said he also has faced harassment, including a death threat he said he reported to law enforcement. He also cited a woman who screamed at him from across the room at a community meeting last Sunday in Nucla.
The inaccurate talking points and name-calling from those who oppose the monument have been disheartening, Braden said. But he believes compromise is possible.
“We’re ready to come to the table and meet people where their concerns lie and try to figure something out that’s workable for everybody,” said Braden, who lives in Grand Junction. “But at the end of the day, we’re committed to permanent protection of this landscape.”
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DENVER — Community organizer Brian Loma remembers wearing his homemade “PRESS” helmet during the summer of 2020, when crowds filled downtown Denver streets to protest police brutality after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Those protests turned violent and led to several lawsuits and claims of more police brutality. Loma was involved in one of those lawsuits.
“I’m filming,” he recalled, describing the situation during one of the protests. “I have a camera. I don’t have a rock. I’m not here to damage anything. I’m filming.”
Loma alleges that at one point during a protest, he was burning sage and praying when he was attacked by Denver police.
“I started getting shot with pepper balls,” he said. “There wasn’t mass crowds. There wasn’t violent lines of people throwing water bottles or rocks or anything. It wasn’t with a massive group. I was there and I was praying.”
That account is part of a lawsuit settled by the City of Denver this week. Loma received a $135,000 payout to settle his claims from that night.
“You know, I’m not out there filming these events, participating, because I want a payout,” he told Denver7 Tuesday. “That’s not the point. The point is to have accountability, be the eyes and ears [of the public].”
Denver7 has followed the settlements between the City of Denver and protesters. Read our previous coverage below:
In total, the City of Denver has paid out more than $18 million in settlements related to the 2020 protests. Denver City Councilwoman Shontel Lewis said the city needs to be more accountable, especially as it faces a $250 million budget shortfall.
“When we’re looking at an ask to furlough, to lay folks off, but we’re also paying out settlements and large sums, we have to ask ourselves — because we talk about this all the time — if budgets are moral documents, what does that say about our morality?” Lewis said on Tuesday.
Lewis believes a less punitive culture within the Denver Police Department, or better alternatives to address community needs, would mean fewer of these claims and lawsuits.
“There are a number of things that you can do where you could have less reliance on the police and more reliance on community organizations and community and solutions that are embedded in [and] deeply rooted in community care,” she said. “But I don’t think we do that.”
Former Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen led the department during the 2020 protests. Denver7 Investigates asked him about the department’s actions leading to millions in payouts.
“A lot of these cases have gone on,” Pazen said. “They’ve been appealed. The city has won several of these cases, as well, which often doesn’t get talked about as much as it should.”
- Hear more from former Chief Pazen in the video player below
Denver7 Investigates talks with former Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen ahead of ICE Out! protest
Pazen said it’s often agitators in the crowd that spark violence.
“Working with the community is the way to address these types of situations, but this is not a one-way street,” he said. “If you have organizers of peaceful protests that step up and get rid of agitators, you will have a peaceful, successful protest. When people start to cause damage, destruction, get involved in violence, then a police department has to respond. That is their duty in order to stop the violence.”
Denver PD declined to comment on the settlement payouts, but did respond to Denver7’s question about how the department has changed its crowd control policies since 2020. The department provided the following examples, but did not include further details:
- The elimination the use of 40 mm less lethal equipment for purposes of crowd control
- Modified the way officers are permitted to use pepper balls for purposes of crowd management
- Less lethal equipment training enhanced to help ensure appropriate use in crowd control settings and understanding of commands
- All officers have received additional training on crowd control response and rapid deployment vehicle tactics
After five years, Loma calls the wait for change “painstaking.”
“Reform does happen slowly, but sometimes it feels like we take two steps forward and take one step back,” he said. “Maybe there is reform happening, right? Maybe it does happen, but it’s a long, slow, arduous process.”
Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Ryan Fish
Denver7’s Ryan Fish covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in covering artificial intelligence, technology, aviation and space. If you’d like to get in touch with Ryan, fill out the form below to send him an email.
On a rainy Friday in late May, Mary Nguyen welcomed about 500 guests to the grand opening of Olive & Finch’s fourth location at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Small bites like vegetarian lumpia and Saigon Sammies (made with plant-based crispy chicken) were passed around.
As one of the busiest destinations in the city, the complex is a major milestone for the brand. It also fills a longstanding gap in the area’s dining options.
“When you go to a show at the Arts Complex, your dining options are limited. Mostly, you’ll find sports bars, greasy spoons, or high-end full-service restaurants, which are often expensive,” Nguyen explained. “It’s exciting to have thousands of people come for a show and be able to get the exposure, but also give them the opportunity to not go to a full-service restaurant if they just want to grab a drink, a snack, come in with their kids, or avoid spending $150 per person.”
The debut followed closely on the heels of Olive & Finch’s Union Station opening in March. More than bold bets on the city’s future, these new downtown locations reflect Nguyen’s personal commitment to Denver’s revitalization.
“There’s a narrative that downtown is dead, that it’s not safe. But I’m here all the time. I see something totally different. There are new restaurants opening, the streets are active, there are interesting people looking for things to do,” Nguyen said.
“I’m a Denver native. If I want to see a vibrant, activated downtown, then I’m going to help make that happen. I’m not waiting for someone else to do it,” she added.
Before the Arts Complex and Union Station locations, Nguyen began working on Little Finch (Olive & Finch’s fast-casual sister concept) on 16th Street back in 2021, long before the area’s multi-year renovation plan broke ground. Rather than viewing the once vibrant corridor as a lost cause, she saw herself as the first to an area ripe with potential.
“If you look at the investment the city is making … no other city in America is spending $600 million to revitalize their downtown. Honestly, I think I’ve done a great job coming in at the beginning, because in 10 years – actually, probably just two years, or even one – Denver’s going to come back,” she said.
These new locations represent the tip of the iceberg for Nguyen. By the end of 2026, Olive & Finch is on track to operate 10 locations, including one outpost in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood, and two more storefronts at Denver International Airport. These sites will join the four open Olive & Finch locations; Little Finch on 16th Street; and Finch, On the Fly, a grab-and-go kiosk that debuted in Denver International Airport this January.
“Everything that we’ve done has been really intentional. It just happened that now we’re ready, and it’s all happening at the same time,” Nguyen laughed.
Intentionality has been central to Olive & Finch’s growth. From 2013 to 2017, the team focused on refining operations, building a solid infrastructure, and ensuring every expansion would preserve the brand’s commitment to scratch-made, chef-driven food. A major component has been the launch of an in-house production and distribution company, which enables all locations to maintain Olive & Finch’s standards. That same company also services wholesale clients like hospitals, hotels, grocery stores and airport concessions.
“The wholesale side is actually the largest part of our business,” Nguyen said. With demand rising, the wholesale operation is projecting a 25% increase in sales next year.
“I know a lot of restaurants sometimes lose their ‘special sauce’ as they grow. For us it’s different because we’re producing everything…We really wanted to create a sustainable model, but also a company that’s sustainable,” Nguyen continued.
Still, the growth is entirely self-financed and independently owned by Nguyen, who left behind a career in finance to pursue her passion for hospitality.
“We don’t have partners or investors, Olive & Finch is independently owned by me,” Nguyen shared. “What started as a passion project has grown into what it is today. I’ve always known I wanted to build a hospitality company, I just didn’t know it would look like this.”
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“Higher Power” is coming to a higher altitude.
On Tuesday, June 10, Coldplay will headline at Denver, CO’s Empower Field at Mile High as part of their ongoing ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour.’
Willow and Elyanna will serve as the opening acts at the one-off concert.
This gig at the Broncos’ stadium comes after a pair of huge shows at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Based on our findings at Set List FM, the stadium rockers delivered 20+ songs over four acts both nights.
And, yes, iconic tunes like “The Scientist,” “Viva La Vida,” “Higher Power,” “Clocks,” “Fix You” all worked their way into the show.
“Musically, Coldplay is at the core a groovy little band tightened over a nearly 30-year career,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote about the first of two shows. “This quartet knows how to play big. ‘Higher Power’ opened the show in full overdrive. Pyro powered ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ and ‘Paradise.’ The crowd bounced through ‘God Put a Smile Upon Your Face’ and ‘Yellow.’”
Want to witness this ambitious live show — that’s amazingly powered by renewable energy sources — IRL at Mile High?
As of now, last-minute tickets are available.
At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find to get in the door was $165 including fees on Vivid Seats.
While that sounds expensive, keep in mind that seats started at $222 including fees, when we last reported on Coldplay ticket prices on May 21.
For more information, our team has everything you need to know and more about Coldplay’s concert in Denver below.
All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.
Coldplay Denver tickets
The band’s Empower Field at Mile High show date, start time and links to what tickets cost now versus what they were going for on May 21 can be found here:
| Coldplay Denver concert dates | Ticket prices start at |
Ticket prices started at on 05/21 |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, June 10 6 p.m. |
$165 (fees included) |
$222 (fees included) |
(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and, if it isn’t noted, will include additional fees at checkout.)
Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.
Still curious about Vivid Seats? You can find an article from their team about why the company is legit here.
Coldplay tour schedule 2025-26
A complete calendar including all North American tour dates, venues, and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found here:
| Coldplay 2025 tour dates |
|---|
| June 13 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, TX |
| June 14 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, TX |
| July 7 at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, ON, CA |
| July 8 at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, ON, CA |
| July 11 at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, ON, CA |
| July 12 at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, ON, CA |
| July 15 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA |
| July 16 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA |
| July 19 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI |
| July 22 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN |
| July 26 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL |
| July 27 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL |
| Aug. 18 at Craven Park in Hull, GB |
| Aug. 19 at Craven Park in Hull, GB |
| Aug. 22 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Aug. 23 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Aug. 26 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Aug. 27 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Aug. 30 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Aug. 31 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Sept. 3 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Sept. 4 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Sept. 7 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| Sept. 8 at Wembley Stadium in London, GB |
| July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ |
Coldplay set list
Coldplay kicked off the North American leg of their yearslong tour at Stanford Stadium. According to Set List FM, here’s what they took to the stage at that June 1 gig:
Act I: Planets
01.) “Higher Power”
02.) “Adventure of a Lifetime”
03.) “Paradise”
04.) “The Scientist”
Act II: Moons
05.) “Viva la Vida”
06.) “Hymn for the Weekend”
07.) “In My Place”
08.) “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face”
09.) “Yellow”
10.) “All My Love”
Act III: Stars
11.) “People of the Pride”
12.) “Clocks”
13.) “WE PRAY”
14.) “Infinity Sign”
15.) “Something Just Like This” (The Chainsmokers cover)
16.) “My Universe”
17.) “A Sky Full of Stars”
Act IV: Home
18.) “Sparks”
19.) “The Jumbotron Song”
20.) “Fix You”
21.) “GOOD FEELiNGS”
22.) “feelslikeimfallinginlove”
Coldplay new music
On Oct. 4, 2024, Coldplay dropped their tenth studio album, “Moon Music.”
The New York Post’s music critic Chuck Arnold reviewed the record. For a closer look at what he had to say, you can find his analysis of their soulful new offering here.
Coldplay special guests
The group will be joined by a pair of opening acts at their Denver show. In order to make sure you’re familiar with their work, here’s each artist’s most-streamed song on Spotify.
Willow: “Wait a Minute!”
Elyanna: “Callin’ U (Tamally Maak)”
Huge stars on tour in 2025
If Coldplay isn’t coming to a venue near you, don’t worry. You’ve got options this year
Here are five huge artists that may be headed to your neck of the woods these next few months.
• Oasis
• Yusuf/Cat Stevens
• Paul Simon
• Benson Boone
• Mumford and Sons
Who else is on the road? Take a look at our list of all the biggest artists on tour in 2025 to find the show for you.
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