News Release

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Finalizes Plan for Managing Elk and Bison

Three Elk stand in the grasslands near the dunes.

NPS/Patrick Myers

News Release Date: September 16, 2019

Contact: Fred Bunch, 719-378-6361

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Finalizes Plan for Managing Elk and Bison

MOSCA, Colo. – On September 16, 2019, the National Park Service (NPS) released its Record of Decision for the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Ungulate Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement (UMP EIS). This is a public comprehensive plan to manage elk and bison in the park.  

The plan’s selected action (as outlined in the Record of Decision) provides the NPS with tools to alter elk distribution in the park while continuing to allow public elk hunting in the preserve. Additionally, the NPS plans on partnering with The Nature Conservancy as it assumes responsibilities of managing bison density and distribution in the park. Over the long term, the NPS will adaptively manage elk and bison to meet desired conditions for wetland ecological integrity.

“We look forward to working with the public and our partners to implement this plan,” said Great Sand Dunes Superintendent Pamela Rice. “By working together with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy and tribes, we can help each other meet our mutual goals for elk and bison management and conservation.”

Elk and bison have long been present in the park. The elk herd in the eastern San Luis Valley has grown to more than 5,000, and The Nature Conservancy manages approximately 1,700 bison on the Medano Ranch. Historic levels of elk are leading to adverse impacts on sensitive areas of the park, including the wetland vegetation communities where the existing bison herd spends a disproportionate amount of time. This plan will support the long-term protection of resources and is compatible with activities across the broader eastern San Luis Valley landscape, to the extent practicable.

The UMP EIS, Record of Decision and other reference documents can be found on the NPS Planning Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/grsa_ungulates.