Natural resource condition assessment: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Decker, Karin; Fink, Michelle; Britten, Michael

The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program is administered by National Park Service’s (NPS) Water Resources Division, and is intended to provide documentation about current conditions of important park natural resources through a spatially explicit, multi-disciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. The NRCA for Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (GRSA) was initiated in September 2009, and 14 focal study natural resources were chosen for assessment. These resources were arranged into a framework with three broad categories: landscape level processes, biological integrity, and supporting environment. The Great Sand Dunes National Monument was designated in 1932 to preserve the unique and scenic character of the dunefield (containing the tallest dunes in North America), as well as some of the oldest known archeological sites in the country. In November 2000, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act upgraded the designation to National Park and expanded the boundaries of the former monument by nearly 70,000 acres (23,828 ha) and established the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve from about 41,646 acres (16,853 ha) of the Rio Grande National Forest. The 149,611 acres (60,545 ha) of the park and preserve encompass a representative slice of the characteristic San Luis Valley/Sangre de Cristo Mountains landscape in the Southern Rocky Mountain ecoregion. Because the park and preserve range from semi-desert valley floor to alpine peak, GRSA supports an impressive variety of high-quality native ecosystems within a relatively small area. Landscape level processes for GRSA were assessed at two levels. The extent and condition of the natural landscape include the focal study resources of landscape condition, composition, and connectivity. Current landscape condition, as measured by anthropogenic disturbance extent and intensity, is good, especially for GRSA and other public lands surrounding the San Luis Valley. GRSA is part of a diverse landscape of regional ecosystem types, and acts as a key connection in the connectivity of core areas within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Although connectivity of this range with the San Juan Mountains to the west is impaired, there are a few remaining connections between GRSA and other areas across the valley floor. Landscape conditions are generally stable, with local and regional conservation and management efforts offsetting the agricultural and renewable resource development that has impacted the area. Four landscape level natural processes were also assessed: hydrology, the dune system, fire, and forest pests/pathogens. Hydrology was assessed as being of moderate concern, although the condition of the dune system remains good. Attention to the effects of hydrological alterations in the area, together with extensive court proceedings and modeling have thus far enabled the NPS to preserve the hydrologic factors on which the dune system depends. However, changing climatic conditions are likely to impact the dunes and the hydrology of the area in the coming decades. Current groundwater monitoring, as well as a focus on vigilant management of the dune system and attendant hydrologic resources, should help managers prepare adaptive strategies for changing conditions as they arise. Fire conditions for GRSA within the landscape context appear to be good, with only a small amount of acreage in significant departure from natural conditions, and extent and frequency of fires similar to that of the surrounding area. Native forest damage-causing agents also appear to be within the range of natural variation. However, the introduced fungus that causes white pine blister rust is present and warrants moderate concern.

Natural resource condition assessment: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

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