The Large-scale Ecosystem Restoration Section (LERS) of the Society for Ecological Restoration is excited to sponsor a unique field trip to Colorado’s San Luis Valley for the 2025 World Conference on Ecological Restoration in partnership with SWCA, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, Colorado State University Extension, Ducks Unlimited, and the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge.
Field Trip Introduction
We are excited to take you on a journey to one of Colorado’s wonderous regions, the San Luis Valley, to discuss its amazing natural history, its complex recent past, the challenges it faces today, and examples of work being done to make positive changes for the future. During this field trip we will visit a variety of locations all demonstrating multi-use land management ranging from national parks, wildlife refuges, nature preserves, public restoration sites, and private agricultural lands. We will visit a spectrum of habitats including the highest sand dunes in North America, semi-arid high desert scrub forests, dryland sage scrub, prairie, and a variety of wetlands. We welcome open honest conversations and will host a variety of guest speakers throughout the trip to share insights on various topics including land management, restoration/revegetation, buffalo grazing, potential co-management, Tribal engagement, keystone species, endangered species, flyway
migration, rewilding, dust on snow, watershed management, and human/nature interface (e.g., hunting, agriculture, grazing, and recreation).
Field Trip Overview
- Duration: 3 days and 2 nights
- Number of Participants: up to 30
- Lodging, transportation, and meals included in trip cost
Day 1
- Morning – Leave Denver and begin drive to San Luis Valley
- Morning – Great Sand Dunes National Park (Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve)
- Evening – Dinner/Networking/Evening Event
Day 2
- Morning – Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge (Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge)
- Afternoon – Zapata Ranch Preserve (Zapata Ranch Preserve | The Nature Conservancy)
- Evening – Dinner/Networking/Evening Event
Day 3
- Morning – Dust on Snow Journey
- Afternoon – Drive back to Denver with 30+ new friends
An Introduction to the San Luis Valley
A sea of silvery native shrubs and potato fields stretch across southern Colorado’s vast San Luis Valley, one of the largest alpine valleys in the world. To the west lies the headwaters of the historic Rio Grande River, where craggy rhyolite canyons hint of past volcanic activity. To the east, the 14,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range cradle Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The valley is peppered with the legacy of Native American as well as Hispanic and European settlers. People have lived in the region since at least the time of the mammoths (9,000 B.C). Navajo, Ute, Apache, Kiowa and Comanche and numerous other tribes have called it home. A series of treaties between Tribes and the United States occurred throughout the 1800s restricting Tribal lands and ultimately led to the creation of a large reservation covering western Colorado. That land was further restricted, depriving the Tribes of seasonal camps, and annual elk and deer harvests. After the Spanish arrived in 1598, the Hispanic population gradually grew to prominence. Then in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago ceded the San Luis Valley and much of the West from Mexico to the United States and many lost their property when their land grants were revoked.
The Rio Grande River snakes across the San Luis Valley, providing an opportunity for whitewater rafting, fly-fishing on the longest stretch of the state’s Gold Medal waters, camping, and stand-up paddleboarding. North America’s tallest sand dunes are a dramatic backdrop against the Sangre de Cristo mountains at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, where you can sandboard or sled down the naturally occurring dunes. South and west of the dunes are portions of the historic Medano and Zapata Ranches, operating since the 1860s. The story of these ranches extends over a century and a half – from range wars in the 19th century to a 21st century conservation effort. In 1989 a new owner and new ranch activity began – grazing buffalo. This was the beginning of unique land management and partnerships that would be solidified by the end of the 20th century. Much of the Medano Ranch is now within the boundaries of Great Sand Dunes National Park, helping to conserve and protect the entire geological and hydrological system of the dunes.
The San Luis Valley’s unconfined aquifer, primarily fed by the Rio Grande River, has been steadily declining since 2002 due to below-average precipitation and over pumping. Continued drought conditions have worsened the situation, leading to record low streamflow levels in the Rio Grande River. The State of Colorado is encouraging the San Luis Valley to manage groundwater usage more sustainably to avoid potential well shutdowns. The declining water supply significantly affects agricultural operations in the valley, particularly for farmers relying on irrigation. The community is developing programs for voluntary ending of agricultural production and then working to figure out what to do with the fallow fields after agricultural production has stopped to reduce noxious weeds and prevent additional dust creation. ‘Dust on Snow’ is also likely to blame for reduced water availability in the San Luis Valley. This phenomenon is caused by aridification of semi-arid lands in the Four Corners region of the U.S. that results in dust. The dust is lifted into the atmosphere and deposited on adjacent mountain ranges, such as the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains in southern Colorado. The dust deposited on white snow causes a reduction in albedo, accelerating both the rate and timing of snowmelt. This altered melt pattern has significant implications for water availability and negatively impacts downstream ecosystems and human communities in the San Luis Valley.