Excerpts from the Summer 2003 Avocet

Baca National Wildlife Refuge

by Michael Blenden

On April 10, 2003, the Baca National Wildlife Refuge moved from concept to reality with the Fish and Wildlife Service's acceptance of the 3304-acre White Ranch from the Bureau of Reclamation. This tract is the first acquisition in what will eventually be the 92,500-acre Baca National Wildlife Refuge. Because the White Ranch is large enough and contains sufficient resources to be managed as a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the new refuge was officially established on that day. The Refuge staff are already very familiar with this property since the Service managed the property for the Bureau of Reclamation from 1996-2001. Although the wetlands on this property have not been consistently wet for some time, that should change to some degree with a change in the management of the adjoining Baca Ranch and, possibly more importantly, a return of normal snowfall in the Sangre de Cristos.

The next acquisition within the Baca NWR will likely be approximately 1,300 acres of land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. We are working with BLM to transfer the scattered tracts that comprise this property to the Fish and Wildlife Service for inclusion in the Baca NWR. However, neither agency currently knows all the obstacles to this transfer or how long it will take.

The subsequent and largest acquisition for the Baca National Wildlife Refuge will be the Baca Ranch, immediately north of the White Ranch. Acquisition of this property will be done in stages. The Nature Conservancy is hoping to close with the ranch owners some time this summer. At that point, the ranch will be owned by the Nature Conservancy, the Department of the Interior, and the Colorado State Land Board. The State Land Board will manage the property until the Department of the Interior is able to purchase the shares in the property held by the Land Board and TNC. The agreement in place calls for this to happen on or before December 31, 2005. At that time, 54,000 acres will be added to Baca NWR. The remaining acreage of the ranch will b e included in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Rio Grande National Forest.

So buckle up-there's nothing but excitement from here on!