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Medano/Zapata Ranch adjacent to Great Sand Dunes. © Ron Semrod

© Ron Semrod

America's Newest National Park: The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado

Highlights of the Great Sand Dunes National Park:

  • The tallest sand dunes in North America
  • Archeological sites more than 9,000 years old
  • Creeks that flow on the surface of the sand, a rare hydrologic phenomenon
  • An ecosystem which spans high desert to alpine life zones and which hosts a great diversity of plants and animals

Rising from the arid floor of the San Luis Valley is one of America's most unusual landscapes — The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado.

This memorable and serene landscape is surrounded by rugged mountains yet is also home to wetlands, seasonal streams and permanent lakes. The wetlands draw large concentrations of wildlife, such as the sandhill and whooping cranes that migrate here each spring.

Water, the West's most precious commodity, makes this profusion of life possible. Hidden beneath the valley floor of this remote corner of Colorado lies a vast aquifer. This water sustains life in the valley and yet also was the biggest threat to this region. Water speculators proposed to tap the aquifer and export the water to feed the explosive development along the front range of the Rockies.

Narrowleaf cottonwood trees are gold in autumn between foreground rabbitbrush and background sand dunes. © Wendy Shattil/Bob Rozinski

Narrowleaf cottonwood trees are gold in autumn between foreground rabbitbrush and background sand dunes.
© Wendy Shattil/Bob Rozinski

To prevent this from happening, The Nature Conservancy, in partnership with the local community and state and federal agencies, spent more than 10 years negotiating to acquire the 97,000-acre Baca Ranch. Following one of the most complex real estate transactions with which it has ever been involved, the Conservancy formally acquired the 151-square mile Baca Ranch on September 10, clearing the way for the protection of the ranch and the designation of the nation’s newest national park, the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

The designation of Great Sand Dunes National Park has put a formal and final end to the threat to this unique American landscape. The creation of this national park ensures that one of the world's last great places will survive for generations to come. The Conservancy is proud to have worked with farmers, ranchers, local leaders and state and federal partners in a decade-long collaborative effort to make the Great Sand Dunes National Park a reality.

The view of dunes from the west is an uncommon perspective, with snowy Blanca Peak in the background. © Wendy Shattil/Bob Rozinski

The view of dunes from the west is an uncommon perspective, with snowy Blanca Peak in the background.
© Wendy Shattil/Bob Rozinski

Video: The Nature Conservancy Purchases Baca Ranch
The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado
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For more information:

Related link:

Great Sand Dunes National Park: Official Site
Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains.