The federal Bureau of Land Management announced today it has closed federal public lands in the Gunnison Basin to human activity where a series of snowstorms and minus 40 temperatures have stressed wildlife.
Mel Lloyd, BLM spokeswoman, said today that such closures don’t happen often.
“Rarely, if ever, has it happened in Colorado in the last 30 years,” said Lloyd. “BLM managers don’t like to implement these types of closures, but because of the weather and the herd numbers, it is important.”
She added that BLM officials haven’t seen “snow levels like this since the early 80s and they are approaching the levels of the early 70s.”
The BLM manages 600,000 acres of land in the Gunnison Basin.
Last week, the BLM closed the lands to motorized vehicles with the aim of protecting endangered herds of pronghorn antelope, mule deer, big horn sheep and elk.
But the BLM said that other types of human activity near the herds called for today’s immediate ban on all human activity now through May 15.
“Agency staff and volunteers have seen higher than expected levels of non-motorized use in critical wintering areas,” said the BLM. “The result is that big game herds are being stressed and pushed away from the feeding areas.”
The agency went on to say that any unnecessary movement by wildlife during “such challenging conditions” can threaten their survival by reducing the stored fat and nutrients they need to survive.
Several weeks ago, the Colorado Division of Wildlife announced that it would start emergency feeding of both the 600 pronghorn antelope and the 21,000 mule deer that live in the basin because of minus 40 degree temperatures and crusted snow that was 48 inches deep which covered critical winter-time food for the herds.
The BLM said today that the emergency feeding operations themselves had sparked the public’s curiosity, resulting in an increased human presence at the feeding areas.
“These disturbances have prompted the need to revise temporary closures, along with the need to add several areas to the temporary closure order,” federal officials said.
Lloyd added that it had gotten a lot of feedback from the general public calling for more widespread closure, the general tenor being: “If you are going to close public lands, close them!”
As of last Friday, the DOW said that feed is being distributed at more than 60 sites in the basin.
“Up to four feet of snow is covering the natural food sources and cold temperatures that have reached 40 degrees below zero are affecting the animals,” the DOW said. “The feeding effort is being aimed at mule deer and pronghorn because their natural food sources are completely covered with snow. Elk, which are well-adapted to severe cold, are being provided hay in select areas only to keep them away from deer feeding sites and ranchers’ haystacks.”
Snow fell in the Gunnison area on Sunday and Monday and more is predicted for tonight, Wednesday and again on Friday.
Under today’s new order, the following federal public lands are now closed to all human use (both motorized and non-motorized) with the exception of DOW, BLM and Forest Service staff and volunteers working directly with the game feeding operations:
Various subdivision roads are being maintained and will remain open to give vehicle traffic access to the subdivisions. Several roads will remain open to allow snowmobile traffic access to private parcels of land and to recreation opportunities above the critical wildlife winter range. These roads are:
Rainbow Lake Road (CR 724) to the Forest Service boundary Lost Canyon Road (Cr 743) from the end of plowing to the Forest Service Boundary North Parlin Flats Road (CR 60) to the Forest Service Boundary Vulcan Road (CR 31) Six Mile Lane (CR 42).
The BLM said today that its Resource Management Plan specifically provides for the ability to establish closures to protect wintering big game during years of unusually heavy snowfall.
Lloyd said that the current closures may overlap into closures in the Gunnison Basin that customarily run from mid-March to mid-May and are used to protect the Gunnison Sage Grouse, a BLM “sensitive species.”
Because of the depth of snowpack, the length of the BLM closure could be extended several weeks longer, she said.
“It depends on Mother Nature,” said Lloyd.
To make a donation to the feeding operation, go to the DOW website – – and click on the donation box.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
