Great Sand Dunes National Park is growing by 9,362 acres via a purchase from The Nature Conservancy/NPS, Patrick Myers

Editor's note: This updates with the acquisition cost added in graph 4.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado on grew by more than 9,300 acres Thursday via acquisition of land from the Medano Ranch owned by The Nature Conservancy, although the conservation group will continue to have use of the land for up to seven years, according to an Interior Department release.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, who were in eastern Colorado on Wednesday to celebrate the addition of nearly 3,500 acres to Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, announced the acquisition of 9,362 acres at Great Sand Dunes via a press release. 

The $4.2 million acquisition was made via the Land and Water Conservation Fund. TNC was given leeway to use the land for up to seven years while it figures out what to do with its bison herd on the land.

Three years ago the Park Service announced a bison management plan at Great Sand Dunes. Part of that plan called for TNC to have 5-7 years to remove its bison herd from its Zapata Ranch adjacent to the national park. At the time, the ranch herd numbered about 1,700 animals; most, if not all, were thought to carry cattle genes. Since the Park Service wants genetically pure bison herds, the plan released in 2019 called for culling the TNC bison and then restocking the park with bison from Interior Department herds thought to be genetically pure, starting out with 25-50.

“Great Sand Dunes and The Nature Conservancy have built a model for collaboration that will help guarantee that future generations have access to this special place,” Haaland said in the release. “This acquisition underscores the central role that locally led conservation efforts play in the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative and our ongoing efforts to conserve, connect and restore public lands and waters.”

Great Sand Dunes National Park was established as a national monument in 1932 and redesignated as a national park and preserve in 2000 to protect the tallest dunes in North America for current and future generations. The dunes are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes and tundra. 

“The lands being transferred to the park contain important springs and wetlands that support a rich diversity of life,” Great Sand Dunes Superintendent Pamela Rice said in the release. “This acquisition marks an important step toward completing the plan for Great Sand Dunes National Park that was established in 2004.”

“We are excited to complete this project and add to the spectacular Great Sand Dunes National Park,” added Nancy Fishbein, director of resilient lands for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado. “Protecting the Medano-Zapata Ranch and contributing to the creation of the national park are among the most significant successes in the history of TNC in Colorado.”

After the land transfer, TNC continues to own and manage the 20,000-acre Zapata property that is adjacent to Great Sand Dunes.

This acquisition continues a long-standing partnership between NPS and TNC to expand Great Sand Dunes, according to Interior.  TNC purchased the Medano-Zapata Ranch in 1999 and soon after developed the plan to transfer some of the acquired land for the creation of Great Sand Dunes National Park. In November 2000, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act passed, which more than quadrupled the size of Great Sand Dunes. Since that time, TNC has worked collaboratively with NPS to manage the inholdings with the hope that the additional parcels would eventually be transferred to the Park.

Approximately 12,498 acres of the Medano Ranch lie within the boundaries of Great Sand Dunes National Park; TNC plans to transfer the remaining 3,192 acres in the future.