Photos by Patrick Shea

SAGUACHE COUNTY — Ranchers, lumberjacks, and recreation enthusiasts share public land with wildlife where an imbalance threatens the resource for everyone. At a working session of Saguache County Commissioners on June 28, Gunnison County Commissioner chairperson Jonathan Houck presented a proposal to designate the Sawtooth Wildlife Conservation Area (WCA) near the intersection of Gunnison and Saguache counties.

Long in the works, the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative includes a history of actions to protect public land around Gunnison County. In the middle of the pack among Colorado counties, Gunnison’s population is 30th of 64. With a population of 6,730 recorded in 2020, Saguache County ranks 45th.

The commissioners from Saguache listened to a series of presentations, asked questions, and provided feedback throughout the day. The discussion has roots in what biologists call “The Great Elk Escape.”

Years ago, a breakaway branch from a herd in the Gunnison Basin ventured over the Continental Divide and added the San Luis Valley to their range. Today, the two counties share an average of 5,000 elk who migrate through the proposed WCA during the year.

In Saguache County, 2,728 voters were registered for the primary election on June 28. This represents roughly half the number of elk who pass through the county every year — migration without representation.

According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Big Game Biologist for the region, Kevin Blecha, ungulates like elk and pronghorns provide “ecosystem services,” which includes everything from maintaining soil health to filling freezers for hunters.

In 2015, Blecha and his associates compared collar data and identified a “revolving door” in the region of North Pass and Cochetopa Pass. Different elk from the Gunnison Basin made appearances in the Trickle Mountain and Middle Creek areas a dozen miles west of Saguache.

Bound by Colorado Highways 50, 114, and 149, the proposed Sawtooth WCA region currently accommodates migrating elk. Years ago, pronghorn followed the same path.

In what Blecha described as a “recolonization event,” a herd of 17 pronghorn escaped a deadly Gunnison Basin winter in 1964 by heading over the Continental Divide to the Trickle Mountain area west of Saguache.

San Luis Valley pronghorn had been largely wiped out in the 19th Century, but their population rebounded with the small group. Migration is a learned behavior that can take decades to develop.

Now, however, residential development near the proposed WCA and increased foot and mountain bike traffic threatens safe passage during migration. Elk alter their routes as weather changes and they discover new obstacles. The current migration paths already crisscross Highway 114 multiple times. Displaced animals might hit the road more.

While the number of grazing permits and elk migration tallies remains relatively even year after year, increased visits to the Sawtooth Mountain region are commensurate with growing wilderness visits across the state. Greater foot and mountain bike traffic puts pressure on wildlife and leaves gates open for ranchers to close.

Across the Valley, Park Superintendent Pam Rice attended the commissioner meeting to provide an update and agency plans for handling increased visits to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

Considering safety and environmental degradation from congestion, Rice noted how a record 602,613 people visited the Dunes in 2021. This represents a 122-percent increase from the 10-year average between 2004 and 2014. Ideas include adding bathrooms between the gate and the visitors center, rearranging parking lots, and adding parking without saturating traffic on the roads and trails.

Rice said they conducted surveys at the end of May and early June and are seeking more public input before implementing plans.

“We’re looking for a sweet spot without overdoing it,” Rice said.

While Commissioner Houck shares the Sawtooth WCA proposal with other agencies and organizations, Saguache County Commissioners have time to consider the plan.

Houck emphasized the difference between Wilderness Conservation Areas and Wilderness Areas. With WCA designation, according to the proposal, grazing and other current activities in the area will not be restricted. Visits from hikers and bikers, however, are as unrestricted as their desire to discover new places.