Re: “Monitor oil and gas leases proposed near Great Sand Dunes National Park,” March 15 editorial.
The Denver Post recently clarified details regarding the Bureau of Land Managementap upcoming oil and gas lease sale near Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. True, the proposed parcels are not in the San Luis Valley, nor adjacent to the dunes themselves. However, The Post should have recognized that the National Park Service boundary — and designated wilderness — runs along the Sangre de Cristo Range ridgeline, as little as a “crow flies” mile upslope from the leases. Public concerns over air and wildlife impacts to a nearby national park site are indeed warranted.
Such concerns would typically be examined through a thorough public vetting process. Unfortunately, the Department of Interior is accelerating leasing while dismantling public input opportunities. Compared to previous 30-day comment periods, the BLM offered only 15 days. This is woefully insufficient.
Interior’s haste is putting the public on edge and our national parks at risk.
Vanessa Mazal, Boulder
The writer is senior Colorado program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association.
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