Founded in 1989, the Friends of the Dunes supports cultural, educational, and
research activities at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
research activities at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Friends of the Dunes Board Statement on the Government Shutdown
5/21/18 - Listen to this great interview with Ranger Fred Bunch on Podcasts With Park Rangers.
Update 7/29/18. The lease sale for the parcels near Great Sand Dunes as been deferred. This delay in the sales process is so that representatives from the Navajo Nation (owner of a large ranch in the proposed sales area) can discuss their concerns with the government. This area has long been considered sacred by a number of Native American Tribes. Learn more about the deferral here.
Update 7/8/18. The brief public comment period has closed. BLM will review the comments and will either decide to go forward with the sale, delay the sale for further research, or remove these parcels from the sale. Many thanks to the several thousand of you who took the time on short notice to submit comments. If no change is made in the current plan, BLM will post a notice of the sale and open a ten-day protest period July 20. We will update this site with new information as it becomes available.
Update 7/8/18. The brief public comment period has closed. BLM will review the comments and will either decide to go forward with the sale, delay the sale for further research, or remove these parcels from the sale. Many thanks to the several thousand of you who took the time on short notice to submit comments. If no change is made in the current plan, BLM will post a notice of the sale and open a ten-day protest period July 20. We will update this site with new information as it becomes available.
- Letter to BLM from the Friends of the Dunes Board expressing concerns about proposed lease sale.
- Map of Proposed Parcel Details
- BLM Project Timeline (click on the "SEPT. 6 2018" tab halfway down the screen - the default tab is a different lease proposal)
- BLM's Project Summary Page (not a lot of info as of 3/20/18 but will house decision documents at bottom of page as those are posted)
Make your voice known. Comments mentioning specific, detailed concerns are more useful to BLM than comments expressing generalizations. For example, the comment, "Parcels 8086, 8088, and 8089 are all within one or two miles of the designated Wilderness area of the park and extraction activity there could negatively impact the wilderness values of dark night sky, natural quiet, and opportunities for solitude" is more useful for site-based decisions than the general comment, "We should be moving away from fossil fuels and investing more in alternative energy." See the above letter to BLM from the Friends of the Dunes board for some of the concerns that have been raised.
Comment Deadline: April 6, 2018!
Comment by email: blm_co_rg_comments@blm.gov
Comment by postal mail:
Royal Gorge Field Office
Attn: September 2018 Lease Sale
3028 E. Main St.
Cañon City, CO 81212.
Comment Deadline: April 6, 2018!
Comment by email: blm_co_rg_comments@blm.gov
Comment by postal mail:
Royal Gorge Field Office
Attn: September 2018 Lease Sale
3028 E. Main St.
Cañon City, CO 81212.
Friends of the Dunes, Inc.
PO Box 1437
Alamosa, CO 81101-1437
E-mail: info@greatsanddunes.org
PO Box 1437
Alamosa, CO 81101-1437
E-mail: info@greatsanddunes.org