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<br />Winds of change ~t Sand Dunes
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<br />Saturday meeting . there to feature politically powerful "in hs
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<br />By NELDA CURTISS
<br />MOSCA - On Saturday morning,
<br />not only will Med.no Creek and Y"lley
<br />winds slutpc the Grent Sand DtJnes
<br />National Monument, but a1so bi-pinli-
<br />sah thought nnd com;.equence shared by
<br />a.feuding interior secretary and n U.S.
<br />sena lor.
<br />Earlier this week, U.S.. Rep. Scott
<br />. McInnis, who like U.S. Sen.. Wnyne
<br />Allard has the Monument in hit; dis-
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<br />Friday, December 17, 1999
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<br />trict, wrote: Secretary Bruce Babbitt
<br />asking Babbitt's Department oC Inte-
<br />rior to "commit itself to funding the
<br />purchase of available land adjacent to
<br />the National Monument for inclusion in
<br />what would become the Grent Sand.
<br />Dunes National Park."
<br />On Thursday, Colorado. Atty. Ge..
<br />Salazar, a Valley native. wrote a letter
<br />to Babbitt, McInnis, Allard and U.S.
<br />Sf;!n. Ben Nighthorsc CampbeH joining
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<br />the national-park bandwagon.
<br />All planned to join the Clinton cabi-
<br />. net member Cor a brisk walk on the
<br />wind-swept Dunes at 8:30 a.m., to hold
<br />a. news conference and to meet with
<br />Valley residents.
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<br />Letter from Salazar
<br />Salazar's letter welcomed Babbitt to
<br />the Valley for the historic visit. He de-
<br />. tailed that the proposed, expanded
<br />boundaries to include the Baca Ranch
<br />would "preserve the water source and
<br />. thccornplex system that keeps the dunes
<br />where they are," and "would bring to fln
<br />end the costly water battles that would
<br />be fought over any new proposed water
<br />project on the Baca Ranch..... '.
<br />. Gary-Doyec's'privatelyowned Baca
<br />property lsa 1oo,OOO'8cro parcelofland
<br />just north oC the' Monument.
<br />The' four politicicans will have nn.
<br />... o~hcr.opportu.nity:t.o listen and dehfltc
<br />thccxpnndcd boundaries ill public early
<br />Sat~rday morning. Allard and Babbitt
<br />wiJI hike 30 minutes in tho Dunes; then
<br />regroup in the Visitors Center for 8
<br />I press.:conference' about 9 a.m. with.
<br />i McI~~i,s,:C~mpb~J),' an~.S81~~ar,8s'well ". .
<br />I. as the'medla., .'. :'_::' '..:. . ".'~,. ..: ~.>.. ' ",;'
<br />
<br />SI~~M~~Ij.6elal~<" ",'
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<br />Park would protect
<br />According to Steve Chancy, superin-
<br />tendenioCthe National Monument, "rhe
<br />objective is to protect the dunes; ir in
<br />doing so the product looks more like a
<br />national park, then we'd support that
<br />move."
<br />The Monument vegetation is sensi.
<br />tive todisturbances, Chaney added. '''The
<br />watershed is where the streams come
<br />Crorn that shape the Dunes; the Medano
<br />Creek and winds have shaped the na.
<br />ture of che, steep dune fnce," he ex.
<br />plained. "If th.e entire system of, the
<br />Sand Dunes was created within one
<br />boundary, it would look more like a
<br />national park .than n monument," he
<br />elaborated.
<br />Chaney's hope for the meeting of these
<br />political leaders is that discussion would
<br />. Le spawned on the "concept" or protect-
<br />ing the Sand Dunes.
<br />Major components of the Great Sand
<br />Dunes system, namely "sand deposits
<br />nnd the watershed," lie outside the
<br />Monument boundaries. "These sand
<br />deposits are the source of the sand that
<br />continues to shape the cJunes," he said.
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<br />. '. . ,f'le~se..;E,e Dunes page 7
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<br />. Ruth Heide, Alarnosa County Editor 589-25~
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<br />Dunes
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<br />. Continued from page 1
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<br />Oldest water rights
<br />10' ~~:Jaz.ar's letter, details
<br />about -lh-eloldest water rights in
<br />Colorado~ are discussed, He
<br />mcntiorls th~t legal concerns in.
<br />clude I'Colorado's obligations
<br />under [he Rio Grande Compact,"
<br />'"proLecLion of vested water
<br />rights," and "surface and ground
<br />.....atcr relationships."
<br />Salazar also writes lhat this
<br />water;. '.~m is "already over.
<br />appr;o I."
<br />Ot\ .kground notes in.
<br />clude , LWO aquifers (unco(\.
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<br />-----.-,.,----.---.
<br />
<br />. - B~tlles ~v'e~ ~h-e'se ~~ter5 have
<br />raged for 20 years~ and in 1986, .
<br />American Watl?r DClo'~1:opmcnl..
<br />Inc. (A Won applied for rights to..
<br />200,000 acre-feel of ground wa..-
<br />ter.to be c.xporled to the Front
<br />Range.
<br />A WDJ'se(forts were unsuccess.
<br />ful. "The court (ound that th.e
<br />
<br />withdra";"als.o'Fground";"at~r" a~
<br />rcquested~ "would lower the wa-
<br />ler Is;ve\ In ~hc 'unconfmed aqui.'
<br />fer:.. Ireduce) the annual yield
<br />of the Close~ Basin Project by at
<br />leasl38,ODO acre.feel annually,"
<br />After that 5 .week trial and
<br />A WDJ's loss, "Stockman's Water
<br />Company aod others bought the
<br />
<br />fia~'a R~nch," as Sb.laz~;'~ 'Ici~er".
<br />. notes. Concern still. exists that.
<br />. the .new owners' proposal to de- .
<br />liver 100,000 acre.feCt of water
<br />a'nd th'cirstatementofaugment_
<br />ing water so that there is "no
<br />injury to water rights" is ~insuf.
<br />ficient'" and that indeed the Grcal
<br />Sand 'Dunes acquifer sy,stems
<br />.
<br />
<br />I
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<br />will be aff~c[L'd, Salaznr funl I
<br />explains .
<br />According (oSal.lzar, C,-,Jor:,
<br />and the Sail Luis Villley is~tUl
<br />ing lhe acquifer systems <l1l<J
<br />computerized mudel Will 0(: n
<br />dered within .a couple of )'c;.
<br />Lecause of Su'te .'apj.lro~ri;j(,.
<br />monies for that study.
<br />
<br />flOed or shallow; and confined;
<br />underlie the Valley and feed irri-
<br />gation wells in the VaHey. Most
<br />of the San Luis Valley's irriga.
<br />tion wells pump water from the
<br />confined a.quifer. Theseaquifer's
<br />may slore :2 billion acre-feet of
<br />water or more, according' to
<br />Sala2ar's lelter.
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