San Luis Valley Conservation Area

Parts of this article (those related to the outcome of the proposal) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2024)

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San Luis Valley Conservation Area

The upper Rio Grande near Creede

The proposed San Luis Valley Conservation Area showing federal, state, and protected land use

Nearest city| Alamosa, Colorado
Coordinates| 37°44′N 106°02′W﻿ / ﻿37.74°N 106.04°W﻿ / 37.74; -106.04
Established| Proposed as of 2012

The San Luis Valley Conservation Area is a proposed "landscape scale"[1] National Conservation Area in south-central Colorado and far northern New Mexico which would be administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

* The area, comprising the San Luis Valley and the upper basin of the Rio Grande, would become the fifth unit of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
* Potential land protection of up to 530,000 acres (210,000 ha) with conservation easements bought from willing sellers.
* Limited fee-title acquisition of up to 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) to meet management needs of the Alamosa, Baca, and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges.
* Planning for this conservation area is part of developing the comprehensive conservation plan for the refuges in the San Luis Valley.
* After consideration of public comment on the draft plan a portion of the proposed San Luis Valley Conservation Area that has immediate conservation need and opportunities has been identified. This is the proposed Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area.

The proposal was promoted and strongly supported by Ken Salazar, United States Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration. Secretary Salazar is a Hispanic San Luis Valley native with a ranching background in Conejos County, Colorado.[1]

Public meetings on the draft proposal were held by the Fish and Wildlife Service in May, 2012 in Alamosa, San Luis, and Moffat, Colorado and comments solicited.[2][3]

The draft plan focuses on maintaining wetlands and riparian habitats in the high desert mountain valley. The plan has been criticized by the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, which represents local water users, as limiting the flexibility needed to manage agricultural water use in the San Luis Valley needed to balance the water budget.[4]

The proposed conservation area is defined by the headwaters of the Rio Grande, which begins its nearly 1,900-mile (3,100 km) journey to the Gulf of Mexico in the San Juan Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Range that surround the San Luis Valley. Runoff from mountain snowpack creates wetlands and riparian areas in the midst of what otherwise is a high-mountain desert, providing important habitat for dozens of species of migratory birds and other sensitive or imperiled species. The surrounding sagebrush shrublands and mountains provide homes and migration corridors for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Canada lynx, and important State game species such as elk and deer.

Conservation easement contracts would specify perpetual protection of habitat for trust species and limits on residential, industrial, or commercial development. Contracts would prohibit alteration of the natural topography, conversion of native grassland to cropland, and drainage or filling of wetlands. When appropriate, easement contracts would prevent the sale of surface water rights or change in water use that would have substantial negative effects on the wildlife value of the property. Easement land would remain in private ownership. Therefore, property tax and invasive plant control would remain the responsibility of the landowner, who also would retain control of public access to the land. Contracts would not restrict grazing on easement land.[5]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b Ken Salazar; Dave Showalter (June 6, 2011). "Secretary Salazar ~ America's Great Outdoors". Western Wild Dave Showalter's Conservation Photography Weblog. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2012. "RIO GRANDE RIVER CORRIDOR/SAN LUIS VALLEY The second America's Great Outdoors project we are announcing today seeks to conserve and protect the Rio Grande River Corridor and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in the San Luis Valley. The San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado – where my family has ranched the same land for 150 years – is a very special place. It is framed by the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and the San Juan Mountains to the west. It is carved by many rivers, including the headwaters of the Rio Grande. Like the Yampa River Basin project, the San Luis Valley project will seek to build upon local efforts to conserve the Valley's vibrant ranching community and protect important wildlife resources and wetland habitat on a landscape scale. Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service is already in the early stages of studying a new San Luis Valley Conservation Area in southern Colorado. This is a community-based effort that will use the agency's time-tested and highly-effective voluntary conservation easement program. This approach is a "win-win" proposition that embodies the President's vision for 21st century conservation. It is already producing strong results in places such as the Blackfoot Valley and Rocky Mountain Front of Montana, the Flint Hills of Kansas, the grasslands of the Dakotas and the headwaters of the Everglades in Florida. The Governor and I believe that the San Luis Valley project presents an unparalleled opportunity to align federal and state investment with private efforts in order to achieve truly landscape scale outcomes."
2. ^ Ruth Heide (May 16, 2012). "FWS seeks plan comments". Valley Courier. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
3. ^ "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Takes Initial Steps Forward in Partnerships for Working Landscapes in the San Luis Valley Public Meetings Scheduled on Draft Land Protection Plan (LPP)" (News Release). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. May 8, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
4. ^ Matt Hildner (June 16, 2012). "Proposal doesn't hold water: Or so say opponents to SLV easements". The Pueblo Chieftain. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
5. ^ Original content of the article was copied from the description of the project at "Land Protection Plan Proposed San Luis Valley Conservation Area Colorado and New Mexico" which is work in the public domain as a product of an employee of the U.S. government done in the course of their employment.

## External links[edit]

* Land Protection Plan
* "Draft Environmental Assessment and Land Protection Plan San Luis Valley Conservation Area Colorado and New Mexico

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Protected areas of Colorado

Federal|

| 4 National Parks|

* Black Canyon of the Gunnison
* Great Sand Dunes
* Mesa Verde
* Rocky Mountain

|

9 National Monuments|

* Browns Canyon (BLM-USFS)
* Camp Hale-Continental Divide (USFS)
* Canyons of the Ancients (BLM)
* Chimney Rock (USFS)
* Colorado
* Dinosaur
* Florissant Fossil Beds
* Hovenweep
* Yucca House

3 National Historic Sites|

* Amache
* Bent's Old Fort
* Sand Creek Massacre

2 National Recreation Areas|

* Arapaho (USFS)
* Curecanti

1 Wild and Scenic River|

* Cache la Poudre River

4 National Historic Trails|

* California Trail
* Old Spanish Trail
* Pony Express Trail
* Santa Fe Trail

1 National Scenic Trail|

* Continental Divide Trail

11 National Forests|

* Arapaho
* Grand Mesa
* Gunnison
* Medicine Bow–Routt
* Pike
* Rio Grande
* Roosevelt
* San Isabel
* San Juan
* Uncompahgre
* White River

2 National Grasslands|

* Comanche
* Pawnee

44 National Wildernesses|

* Black Canyon of the Gunnison
* Black Ridge Canyons
* Buffalo Peaks
* Byers Peak
* Cache La Poudre
* Collegiate Peaks
* Comanche Peak
* Dominguez Canyon
* Eagles Nest
* Flat Tops
* Fossil Ridge
* Great Sand Dunes
* Greenhorn Mountain
* Gunnison Gorge
* Hermosa Creek
* Holy Cross
* Hunter–Fryingpan
* Indian Peaks
* James Peak
* La Garita
* Lizard Head
* Lost Creek
* Maroon Bells-Snowmass
* Mesa Verde
* Mount Evans
* Mount Massive
* Mount Sneffels
* Mount Zirkel
* Neota
* Never Summer
* Platte River
* Powderhorn
* Ptarmigan Peak
* Raggeds
* Rawah
* Rocky Mountain National Park
* Sangre de Cristo
* Sarvis Creek
* South San Juan
* Spanish Peaks
* Uncompahgre
* Vasquez Peak
* Weminuche
* West Elk

3 National Conservation Areas|

* Dominguez–Escalante
* Gunnison Gorge
* McInnis Canyons

8 National Wildlife Refuges|

* Alamosa
* Arapaho
* Baca
* Browns Park
* Monte Vista
* Rocky Flats
* Rocky Mountain Arsenal
* Two Ponds

3 National Heritage Areas|

* Cache la Poudre River Corridor
* Sangre de Cristo
* South Park

28 National Historic Landmarks|

* Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
* Bent's Old Fort
* Central City/Black Hawk Historic District
* Colorado Chautauqua
* Cripple Creek Historic District
* Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
* Denver Civic Center
* Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
* Elitch Gardens Carousel
* Georgetown–Silver Plume Historic District
* Granada War Relocation Center
* Leadville Historic District
* Lindenmeier site
* Lowry Pueblo
* Ludlow Tent Colony Site
* Mesa Verde Administrative District
* Minnequa Steel Works
* Pikes Peak
* Pike's Stockade
* Raton Pass
* Red Rocks Park
* Shenandoah-Dives Mill
* Silverton Historic District
* Telluride Historic District
* Temple Aaron
* Trujillo Homesteads
* United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Area
* Winks Panorama

16 National Natural Landmarks|

* Big Spring Creek
* Garden of the Gods
* Garden Park Fossil Area
* Hanging Lake
* Indian Springs Trace Fossil Natural Area
* Lost Creek Scenic Area
* Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas
* Raton Mesa
* Roxborough
* Russell Lakes
* Sand Creek
* Slumgullion Earthflow
* Spanish Peaks
* Sulphur Cave and Spring
* Summit Lake
* West Bijou Site

National Register of Historic Places|

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Colorado

State|

| 43 State Parks|

* Arkansas Headwaters
* Barr Lake
* Boyd Lake
* Castlewood Canyon
* Chatfield
* Cherry Creek
* Cheyenne Mountain
* Crawford
* Eldorado Canyon
* Eleven Mile
* Elkhead
* Fishers Peak
* Golden Gate Canyon
* Harvey Gap
* Highline Lake
* Jackson Lake
* James M. Robb - Colorado River
* John Martin Reservoir
* Lake Pueblo
* Lathrop
* Lone Mesa
* Lory
* Mancos
* Mueller
* Navajo
* North Sterling
* Paonia
* Pearl Lake
* Ridgway
* Rifle Falls
* Rifle Gap
* Roxborough
* Spinney Mountain
* St. Vrain
* Stagecoach
* State Forest
* Staunton
* Steamboat Lake
* Sweetwater Lake
* Sweitzer Lake
* Sylvan Lake
* Trinidad Lake
* Vega
* Yampa River

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1 State Forest|

* State Forest

307 State Wildlife Areas|

* List of Colorado state wildlife areas

96 State Natural Areas|

* Aiken Canyon
* Antero-Salt Creek
* Arikaree River
* Badger Wash
* Blacks Gulch
* Blue Mountain-Little Thompson Fault
* Bonny Prairie
* Boulder Mountain Park
* Brush Creek Fen
* California Park
* Castlewood Canyon
* Chalk Bluffs
* Coal Creek Tallgrass Prairie
* Colorado Tallgrass Prairie
* Comanche Grassland
* Copeland Willow Carr
* Corral Bluffs
* Cross Mountain Canyon
* Dakota Hogback
* Deer Gulch
* Dome Rock
* Droney Gulch
* Duck Creek
* Dudley Bluffs
* East Lost Park
* East Sand Dunes
* Elephant Rocks
* Escalante Canyon
* Fairview
* Fourmile Creek
* Fruita Paleontological
* Garden Park Fossil
* Gateway Palisade
* Geneva Basin Iron Fens
* Gothic
* Gunnison Gravels
* Haviland Lake
* High Creek Fen
* High Mesa Grassland
* Hoosier Ridge
* Hurricane Canyon
* Indian Spring
* Indian Springs Trace Fossil
* Irish Canyon
* Jimmy Creek
* Ken-Caryl Ranch
* Kremmling Cretaceous Ammonite
* Limestone Ridge
* Lookout Mountain
* Lower Greasewood Creek
* McElmo
* Mexican Cut
* Mini-Wheeler
* Miramonte Reservoir
* Mishak Lakes
* Mount Callahan & Logan Wash Mine
* Mount Emmons Iron Bog
* Mount Goliath
* Narraguinnep
* Needle Rock
* North Park Phacelia
* Orient Mine
* Owl Canyon
* Pagosa Skyrocket
* Paradise Park
* Park Creek Hogback
* Pyramid Rock
* Rabbit Valley
* Rajadero Canyon
* Raven Ridge
* Redcloud Peak
* Rough Canyon
* Roxborough
* Ryan Gulch
* Saddle Mountain
* San Miguel River
* Sand Creek
* Shell Duck Creek
* Shell Rock
* Slumgullion Earthflow
* South Beaver Creek
* South Boulder Creek
* South Cathedral Bluffs
* Specimen Mountain
* Staunton
* Tamarack Ranch
* Treasurevault Mountain
* Trinidad K-T Boundary
* Two Buttes
* Unaweep Seep
* Wacker Ranch
* West Creek
* Wheeler Geologic
* White Rocks
* Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek Natural Area
* Zapata Falls

26 Scenic and Historic Byways|

* Alpine Loop
* Cache la Poudre-North Park
* Collegiate Peaks
* Colorado River Headwaters
* Dinosaur Diamond
* Flat Tops Trail
* Frontier Pathways
* Gold Belt Tour
* Grand Mesa
* Guanella Pass
* Highway of Legends
* Lariat Loop
* Los Caminos Antiguos
* Mount Evans
* Pawnee Pioneer Trails
* Peak to Peak
* San Juan Skyway
* Santa Fe Trail
* Silver Thread
* South Platte River Trail
* Top of the Rockies
* Tracks Across Borders
* Trail of the Ancients
* Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow
* Unaweep Tabeguache
* West Elk Loop

Trails|

| 28 National Recreation Trails|

* Apex
* Barr
* Bear Creek
* Big Dry Creek
* Calico
* Crag Crest
* Devils Head
* Fish Creek Falls
* Grays Peak
* Greyrock Mountain
* High Line Canal
* Highline Loop
* Lake Fork
* Mineral Belt
* Mount Evans
* Mount McConnel
* Petroglyph Point
* Platte River Greenway
* Poudre River
* Rocky Mountain Arsenal
* Round Mountain
* Swamp Park
* Two Elk
* Two Ponds
* Vail Pass
* West Lost Trail Creek
* Wheeler Ten Mile
* White House Ranch

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6 Regional Trails|

* American Discovery Trail
* Colorado Trail
* Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
* Kokopelli's Trail
* Paradox Trail
* Tabeguache Trail

* Colorado Department of Natural Resources

Authority control databases: National |

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