The federal government has begun negotiating the purchase of 12,518 acres of land to add to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southwestern Colorado, a puzzle piece bordered on three sides by the park that includes a bison herd, meadows and wetland areas.
The Medano Zapata Ranch is owned by the nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, which has previously helped the federal government acquire land that is now part of the park.
“In a nutshell, what this sale would do would be complete the park,” said Lisa Carrico, superintendent of the Great Sand Dunes park.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act that promoted the dunes from a national monument to a national park, increased the park size and paved the way for purchase of private property. Boundaries were established with the expectation that one day other private property within the boundaries would be transferred to the park.
“The boundary was drawn to include the entire hydrological system that includes the Great Sand Dunes, and not only the sand dunes, but land to the west and south that contains a sand sheet that contributes to the sand dunes,” Carrico said.
It took four years to finalize details of the land acquisition deal after the act was passed in 2000. The current land deal could take up to two years to complete, officials say.
Heidi Sherk, director of external affairs for the conservancy, said part of the deal would include a transfer of water rights. Carrico said it’s common for the park service to own water rights for its parks.
The park service would hold on to the water rights as part of the preservation of the system that creates the 700-foot sand dunes — the tallest found in North America.
“The creeks help hold sand in place. Dry sand blows away but wet sand doesn’t move,” Carrico said. “They’re like two arms embracing the sand dunes, holding it in place.”
In budget documents that allocated more than $6.8 million to the park service in 2016 for the land acquisition, the park service lists changes to water flow or groundwater levels as potential threats to the “balance of the processes involved in continued dune activity.”
According to the park service, the dunes stay moist year-round. The budget document worries that “there will be increased pressure to use resources in a way that will adversely affect the Great Sand Dunes.”
Water rights in that area have been a point of contention and have helped drive previous land deals and preservation.
In the 1990s community members stopped two projects that would have drilled water from the area to export to growing communities along the Front Range. It was after those long battles that legislators in 2000 worked with the community to take the land — and water — from the Baca Ranch and add it to the Great Sand Dunes park to avoid others from trying to commercialize or sell it.
“I believe it makes sense for the federal government to own those water rights from the Medano because they will have a beneficial tool with which to manage and enhance the environment in that area,” said Christine Canaly, director of the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, who helped work on the preservation act of 2000.
In the budget documents outlining the need for the land deal, the park service also expressed concerns that The Nature Conservancy lacks sufficient funding or staff to preserve archaeological sites and historic buildings on the property.
Sherk denied that the group has had any issues managing the property, and said the deal is about allowing the land to be managed as part of the larger area.
“It will lead to the park’s ability to more comprehensively manage the area down the road,” Sherk said. “This will lead to enhanced public access.”
Officials are also including Alamosa County commissioners in the talks to address concerns that the land transfer could mean a budget cut for the county of about $12,000 per year — what the conservancy currently pays in taxes.
Officials are still in the preliminary stages of this latest deal, but officials at some point plan to seek public input on how the land would be used.
Some limited hunting that takes place on the land would end, Carrico said, and one of the historic buildings could be used as a meeting center for guided tours.
“It does open up new opportunities,” Carrico said.
Quick facts
- In 2015, more than 280,000 park visitors spent an estimated $17.8 million in local gateway regions while visiting the dunes.
- The dunefield with the tallest dunes in North America spreads across 30 square miles.
- At least 90 percent of visitors to the park go to visit the sand dunes, not the other park land.
