Baca National Wildlife Refuge

Baca National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
View southeast from the northwest corner of the original Luis Maria Baca Grant #4, now included in the Baca NWR, the Great Sand Dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Range are in the background

Location	Saguache & Alamosa counties, Colorado, United States
Nearest city	Alamosa
Coordinates	37°52′0″N 105°48′0″W / 37.86667°N 105.80000°W / 37.86667; -105.80000Coordinates: 37°52′0″N 105°48′0″W / 37.86667°N 105.80000°W / 37.86667; -105.80000
Area	78,697 acres (318.48 km²)
Established	2003
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/alamosa/bacanwr.html

The Baca National Wildlife Refuge is a 78,697-acre (31,848 ha)^[1] United States National Wildlife Refuge located in southern Colorado. It is within the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area.

Geography

The wildlife refuge is located on the lands of the Luis Maria Baca Grant No. 4 near Crestone, Colorado in the San Luis Valley in southern Saguache and northern Alamosa counties, about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of the town of Alamosa, on the west side of the Sangre de Cristo Range.

The site was authorized by the United States Congress in 2000 as part of legislation that also authorized the nearby Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was formally established in 2003 when administration began under the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It is administered jointly with the nearby Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges, as part of the Alamosa/Baca/Monte Verde Complex.

Wet hay meadow on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge in July 2008

Description

The Baca National Wildlife Refuge consists of rangeland and some riparian wetlands. The original ranch headquarters and other buildings are on the wildlife refuge. As is usual on federal wildlife refuges, grazing and hay production continue on a limited basis. It includes several thousand acres of irrigated hay meadows.

Several streams arising in the nearby Sangre de Cristos flow onto the Refuge. Crestone Creek in its lower reaches is a spring-fed perennial stream inhabited by four native fish species: Rio Grande sucker (Catostomus plebeius), Rio Grande chub (Gila pandora), fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), and longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae)^[2]

History

The establishment of the refuge and national park was part of complex land transfers undertaken by the federal government in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy and the State of Colorado. Approximately 3,300 acres (1,300 ha) of the land was previously under the management of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and was transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Approximately 97,036 acres (39,269 ha) of the land for the refuge and park was part of the historic Baca Ranch and was purchased by the Nature Conservancy before its transfer to the federal government. The refuge forms part of complex of wetlands in the San Luis Valley consists of lands of nearby landowners, including the Colorado Board of Land Commissioners, the National Park Service, and the Nature Conservancy.

Oil and gas exploration

The mineral rights to the lands of the Baca NWR are owned by a third party, Lexam Explorations (U.S.A.) Inc. (Lexam). There is believed to be a small chance that commercial quantities of natural gas may be discovered (An existing artesian well on the land, called "the gas well", produced enough gas to heat one home).

Draft environmental assessment

Litigation by the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council contesting the environmental assessment with respect to the drilling of two exploratory wells resulted in a settlement in September, 2010 requiring preparation of a new assessment by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.^[3] Completion of a draft environmental assessment was announced by the Fish and Wildlife Service on January 7, 2011 and was made available for download or viewing at the refuge's website.

Proposed executive summary:

Implementation of the Preferred Alternative – the Service is requiring that specific protective measures and standards are followed during all phases of oil and gas exploration being proposed by Lexam, including the intended drilling of two exploratory gas wells on the Refuge, to ensure maximum protection of the surface estate (including all surface and subsurface natural resources not considered minerals) of the Refuge and associated cultural, socioeconomic, and aesthetic resources from unreasonable degradation or impacts. With these requirements incorporated into Lexam’s Plan of Operations, potential impacts are expected to be less than significant in regards to NEPA. Information gathered in this Draft EA indicates that the temporary nature of the proposed exploration (<180 days), along with implementation of the preferred alternative, will not unreasonably degrade or result in significant impacts to the surface estate (including all surface and subsurface natural resources not considered to be minerals) of the Refuge and associated cultural, socioeconomic, and aesthetic resources.

Public review

A public meeting was held in January 2011 at the Colorado College Baca Campus Conference Center in Crestone, Colorado. It was an informational open house with a presentation by the Fish and Wildlife Service followed by a question-and-answer session. Written comments regarding the environmental assessment were accepted at this meeting.^[4]

"There’s no legal way to say ‘no’ for that mineral owner to access those minerals,” [Mike Blenden, Project Leader, San Luis Valley NWR Complex] said

Comments can also be sent via mail to David Lucas, Chief, Division of Refuge Planning, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Refuge Planning, P.O. Box 25484, Denver, CO 80225-0486 or via email to: BacaDraftEAComments at fws.gov and must be received no later than February 7, 2011.

The draft assessment includes consideration of the option of purchasing the mineral rights but rejects the $8.4 million demanded by Lexam as not a fair market price. By the terms of a Federal District Court settlement the final environmental assessment is due April 1, 2011.^[5]

Gallery

Fish in Crestone Creek
Capped artesian well
Crestone Creek

Notes

↑ "USFWS Lands Report". USFWS. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
↑ Final Environmental Assessment of Planned Gas and Oil Exploration Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Saguache County, Colorado (PDF), USFWS, October 2008, p. 3.29, 3.6.1.5 Fisheries, retrieved September 22, 2010
↑ Hildner in, Matt (September 25, 2010). "Settlement ends lawsuit over drilling at Baca refuge:U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct new review of drilling proposal". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
↑ Heide, Ruth (Jan 28, 2011). "Public questions Baca plan, round two". The Valley Courier. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
↑ Hildner, Matt (January 9, 2011). "Feds lean toward approval of Baca refuge drilling". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved January 9, 2011. (dead link)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baca National Wildlife Refuge.

External links

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Baca National Wildlife Refuge website — this address redirects to the Fish and Wildlife Service website, click on the map to access the Baca page.
NPR Morning Edition — "Drilling Envisioned in Colorado Wildlife Refuge" — radio report by Jeff Brady ( January 10, 2008).
Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan
- 178mb PDF file

Protected areas of the State of Colorado

Federal

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

National Monuments	Browns Canyon (BLM-USFS) Canyons of the Ancients (BLM) Chimney Rock (USFS) Colorado Dinosaur Florissant Fossil Beds Hovenweep Yucca House

National Recreation Areas	Arapaho (USFS) Curecanti

National Historic Sites	Bent's Old Fort Sand Creek Massacre

National Historic Trails	Old Spanish Trail Oregon Trail Pony Express Trail Santa Fe Trail

National Scenic Trail	Continental Divide Trail

National Forests	Arapaho Grand Mesa Gunnison Pike Rio Grande Roosevelt Routt San Isabel San Juan Uncompahgre White River

National Grasslands	Comanche Pawnee

National Wilderness	Black Canyon of the Gunnison Black Ridge Canyons Buffalo Peaks Byers Peak Cache La Poudre Collegiate Peaks Comanche Peak Dominguez Eagles Nest Flat Tops Fossil Ridge Great Sand Dunes Greenhorn Mountain Gunnison Gorge 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

National Conservation Areas	Dominguez-Escalante Gunnison Gorge McInnis Canyons

National Wildlife Refuges	Alamosa Arapaho Baca Browns Park Monte Vista Rocky Flats Rocky Mountain Arsenal Two Ponds

BLM ACECs	66 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

State

Colorado State Parks	Arkansas Headwaters Barr Lake Bonny Lake Boyd Lake Castlewood Canyon Chatfield Cherry Creek Cheyenne Mountain Crawford Eldorado Canyon Eleven Mile Elkhead 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 San Luis Spinney Mountain St. Vrain Stagecoach State Forest Staunton Steamboat Lake Sweitzer Lake Sylvan Lake Trinidad Lake Vega Yampa River

Colorado Natural Areas	Aiken Canyon Ant Hill Antero-Salt Creek Arikaree River Badger Wash Blacks Gulch Blue Mountain Bonny Prairie Boston Peak Fen Boulder Mountain Park Boulder Valley Heronry Brush Creek Fen California Park Castlewood Canyon Chalk Bluffs Colorado Tallgrass Prairie Comanche Grassland Copeland Willow Carr Cross Mountain Canyon Daves Draw Deep Creek Deer Gulch Dinosaur Ridge Dome Rock Droney Gulch Duck Creek Dudley Bluffs East Lost Park East Sand Dunes Elephant Rocks Elk River Escalante Canyon Escalante Creek 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 Lake Pasture Lake San Cristobal Limestone Ridge Lookout Mountain Lost Park Lower Greasewood Creek McElmo Mexican Cut Mini-Wheeler Miramonte Reservoir Mishak Lakes Moosehead Mountain Mount Callahan Mount Callahan Saddle Mount Emmons Iron Fen Mount Goliath Narraguinnep Needle Rock North Park Phacelia Orient Mine Owl Canyon Paradise Park Park Creek Hogback Park Mesa Pawnee Woodlands Pyramid Rock Rabbit Valley Rajadero Canyon Raven Ridge Redcloud Peak Rocky Mountain Woodfrog Pond Rough Canyon Roxborough Running Creek 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 Tabeguache Tamarack Ranch Tern Island Treasurevault Mountain Trinidad K-T Boundary Two Buttes Unaweep Seep Uncompahgre Fritillary Wacker Ranch West Creek Wheeler Geologic White Rocks Williams Creek Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek Natural Area Zapata Falls

State Wildlife Areas	307 Colorado State Wildlife Areas

Other

Trails	American Discovery Trail Colorado Trail Continental Divide Trail Great Divide Trail Kokopelli Trail Paradox Trail Tabeguache Trail

Colorado Department of Natural Resources (web)

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