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DURANGO, Colo. – Annual seasonal wildlife closures go into effect December 1, 2015, within the Grandview Ridge and Animas City Mountain areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management,  the Twin Buttes open space managed by the City of Durango Parks and Recreation Department and the Bodo and Perrins peak state wildlife areas managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to protect critical winter range for wildlife on public lands surrounding Durango. These closures remain in effect from through April 15, 2016.

“The BLM and City of Durango, in cooperation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, manage areas surrounding Durango for a variety of uses,” said Connie Clementson, BLM Tres Rios Field Manager. “These closures are in place because deer and elk are very vulnerable to disturbance in winter. When folks hike, bike and bring their pets into this critically important winter habitat, it has tremendous impacts on wildlife survival."     

During the winter months, deer and elk rely on many of these areas for forage and refuge.  The closures ensure wildlife are not affected by frequent human disturbance during the winter when forage quality is poor. These disturbances can lead to decreased deer and elk health conditions, calves with lower survival rates and failed reproduction. Additionally, a decrease in mule deer populations across the state over the last two decades have made public lands increasingly important to maintaining deer and elk populations in the Durango area.

The closure of Grandview Ridge, Animas City Mountain and Twin Buttes areas prohibits all public access until after April 15, when deer and elk typically start to move towards summer range.  

Closures in the Grandview Ridge area on BLM lands 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 Connect. 
• Crites Connect will remain open to the Telegraph Trail. 
• South Rim Trail, portions of Sidewinder, Cowboy and other trails on BLM lands will be closed and cannot be accessed from the Carbon Junction Trail or other routes. 
• Grandview BLM trails accessed from Three Springs will also be closed to all public use.

Closures in the Animas City Mountain area on BLM lands 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 Durango City lands 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. “This includes 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.”

A map of the closure areas is posted at www.blm.gov/colorado.  For additional information or to report violations in these areas, call the Tres Rios Field Office (970) 882-7296 or the City of Durango Parks and Recreation Department at (970) 375-7321.