ALAMOSA – As the country’s second-largest potato producing region, the San Luis Valley is known for its agriculture. The growing season lasts only 90 days. Killing frosts can occur at any time. But fertile soils, low pest populations, and irrigation have made farming here worthwhile for generations. Or at least, they have until overpumping of…
ZAPATA RANCH – Sunlight shines through dusty air as ranchers gather hundreds of bison for weighing and sorting. The Zapata Ranch, a Ranchlands property located in the heart of the San Luis Valley, is merging conservation and ranching. The Nature Conservancy owns the 110,000-acre ranch and has partnered with Ranchlands to manage the land. The…
ALAMOSA – Nestled beneath snow covered mountains, this high desert basin is so dry that one resource matters above all else – water. In the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado, life revolves around water. Agriculture is the main industry. For locals, agriculture means more than income. It is an engrained culture. They depend on…
SUMMITVILLE – The massive scar gouged into the side of a mountain on the western rim of the San Luis Valley is an environmental disaster that will cost Colorado taxpayers $2 million a year indefinitely. In the 1980s, a subsidiary of Galactic Resources Ltd., Summitville Consolidated Mining Company, Inc. established a massive open-pit gold…
ALAMOSA, CO — In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, water is becoming more and more valuable. Surface water is drying up and groundwater is steadily increasing in price. The valleys main use is farming, requiring complex irrigation systems to carry water over long distances. Many of the crops grown here are water intensive. “Without agriculture, the…
GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK, CO — In the mountains of Great Sand Dunes National Park in the San Luis Valley just north of Alamosa, Medano Creek flows down into the valley. The river helps shape the dunes. “A key piece of this is the role of water,” said Fred Bunch, chief of resource management…
CRESTONE – The San Luis Valley holds 3.1 million acres of land, and the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council advocates for keeping its ecosystem protected. “I represent the people who care about this valley and systems who don’t have a voice,” the council’s director, Christine Canaly said in a recent interview. Canaly enlists the public…
ALAMOSA – Agriculture has been the base of the San Luis Valley’s economy since before farmer Cleave Simpson can remember. “I’m the fourth generation in my family trying to eek out a living here,” Simpson said during a recent meeting with Colorado College students at his Rio Grande Water Conservation District office. Like most farmers…
SAN LUIS VALLEY– The tradition of ranching is dying. Zapata Ranch is home to around 2000 bison located in the San Luis Valley. The bison roam on 50,000 acres of the total 110,000-acre ranch. Each year, ranch workers harvest 500 bison. They are sold under their label, Lasater Grasslands Beef. Among the buyers is Whole Foods. Ranch manager Duke Philips said his goal is to mimic…
GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK– Fighting light pollution to preserve starry night skies and securing water flows amid climate changes are growing concerns at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It falls to Fred Bunch, the parks natural resources manager, to face these challenges. Bunch has been working at the dunes for the past 30 years. Visitor rates have skyrocketed. In 2017 a record 487,000 people visited, up from 230,481 visitors…
