Closures at Grandview Ridge, Twin Buttes and Animas City mountain areas now in place
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DURANGO, Colo. – Today, annual winter closures go into effect within the Grandview Ridge, Animas City Mountain and Twin Buttes open space areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the City of Durango Parks and Recreation Department to protect critical wildlife winter range. This closure will remain in place through April 15, 2015, or sooner pending weather conditions.
As a result of heavy snow in higher elevations, the BLM is implementing closures for areas at lower elevations to protect wildlife during the critical winter months. These areas surround Durango and are crucial to maintaining big game. The BLM and City of Durango, in cooperation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, monitor deer and elk movement throughout the winter to determine the optimal time to start the closures. The closures prohibit all public access until conditions allow the wildlife to move back to higher elevations.
Additionally, the community will see new closure structures on the trails around Durango to help reinforce the importance of not entering the areas and reduce stress on the animals during these times when less forage is available.
“These closures are in place because deer and elk are vulnerable to disturbance in winter, and must conserve energy to survive,” said Connie Clementson, BLM Tres Rios Field Manager. “When folks hike, bike and bring their pets into this critically-important winter habitat, it impacts wildlife.”
Closures in the Grandview Ridge area include:
· Sale Barn and Big Canyon trailheads off U.S. Highway 160 will be closed to all public use.
· Carbon Junction Trail will remain open from the Highway 3 trailhead to Crites Connection, continuing on to only the portion of the Telegraph Trail leading into Horse Gulch (these trails are all on private property).
· South Rim Trail, Telegraph, Sidewinder and other trails on BLM lands will be closed and cannot be accessed from the Carbon Junction Trail or other routes.
Closures in the Animas City Mountain area include:
· BLM lands will be closed to public entry, except for a 1.5-mile trail loop on the lower portion of the mountain, which will remain open to public use. This loop can be accessed from the Birkett and 32nd Street trailheads or Dalla Mountain Park. Signs are posted at the top of the loop indicating the extent of the closure area boundary.
Closures in the Twin Buttes area include:
· All of the trail system within the Twin Buttes development and on City open space in this area with access off of U.S. Highway 160 are closed. Signs are posted at the trail system access points indicating the extent of the closure area boundary.
“There are still great places to hike, bike and take pets,” said Cathy Metz, City of Durango Parks and Recreation Director. “These areas include the Horse Gulch and Raiders Ridge areas, Fort Lewis College Rim, Overend Mountain Park and Dalla Mountain Park and the popular Colorado Trail northwest of Durango.”
For additional information or view maps of the closed areas, call the Tres Rios Field Office (970) 882-7296 and/or the City of Durango Parks and Recreation Department at (970) 375-7321 or go to www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/sjplc.html.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.