Baca National Wildlife Refuge was created in 2004 as part of the expansion of Great Sand Dunes National Monument into a national park and preserve, protecting the entire natural hydrological system of the Great Sand Dunes. It is adjacent to the national park on the western boundary.

The 92,500 acre Baca Refuge is located in the northeastern part of the San Luis Valley. The Refuge has a diverse combination of shrublands, grasslands, wet meadows, playa wetlands, and riparian corridors. This Refuge was set aside not only as an additional haven for migratory birds and resident wildlife, but also for its importance in a broader conservation effort to protect the wildlife, habitat, and water of the northern San Luis Valley. The Refuge also contains the rich archeological telling of over 12,000 years of use by humans, including the extensive history of the famed Baca Grant Ranch.

In the Upland Shrublands, common wildlife species include Brewer’s sparrow, mourning dove, western meadowlark, and loggerhead shrike. Some grassland areas support rare grassland-dependent species such as the burrowing owl and long-billed curlew. Two globally vulnerable subspecies of small mammals, the silky pocket mouse, and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, are also grassland dependent; and one globally vulnerable subspecies of butterfly, the sandhill skipper. This subspecies of the butterfly lives only in the San Luis Valley. Elk and pronghorn are abundant on uplands and other habitat types of the refuge.

Credits and Sources:

“Baca National Wildlife Refuge: Wildlife and Habitat,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Baca/wildlife_and_habitat/index.html, Accessed on June 28, 2015.

“Great Sand Dunes: Nearby Attractions,” National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/nearbyattractions.htm, Accessed on June 28, 2015.