U.S. Department of the Interior / Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Use the complete site name here (e.g. Palo Alto Battlefield Historic Site). / 11500 Highway 150
Mosca, Colorado
81146
719-378-6399 phone
719-378-6340 fax
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
News Release
For immediate release: 11/1/11 Contact: Katherine Faz, 719-378-6341
Use a “short-hand” version of the site name here (e.g. Palo Alto Battlefield not Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Site).National Park Service Will Host Public Meetings to Discuss the Management of Bison and Elk at Great Sand Dunes
The National Park Service is developing a plan to guide the management of bison, elk, and other ungulates (hoofed mammals) at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The National Park Service will use the plan and accompanying environmental impact statement (EIS) to determine whether and how to establish a semi-free ranging bison population at Great Sand Dunes and to identify tools for managing the population and distribution of elk and other ungulates.
“Since the expansion of Great Sand Dunes from a small national monument to a large national park and preserve, it has become necessary to develop a plan for ungulate management”, says Acting Park Superintendent Karl Cordova. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey have been studying elk and bison at Great Sand Dunes and on surrounding lands since 2004. The National Park Service will use information gained through those studies and through discussions with state and federal management partners to inform the plan and EIS.
The National Park Service is also currently seeking early public input as part of its scoping process. “Public participation in the planning process is essential. It will ensure that the National Park Service understands and considers the interests of our neighbors, visitors, and partners,” says Acting Superintendent Karl Cordova. The National Park Service will host public meetings to discuss the planning process and accept comments on November 14 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Alamosa Recreation Center and November 15 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the Baca Grande POA meeting hall in Crestone. Comments may also be submitted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/grsa-ungulates. The public comment period is open through January 6, 2012.
For more information, contact Fred Bunch, Resource Management Specialist at 719-378-6361.
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