Land Protection Plan San Luis Valley Conservation Area Colorado and New Mexico December 2015 Prepared by San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex 8249 Emperius Road Alamosa, CO 81101 719 / 589 4021 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6, Mountain-Prairie Region Branch of Refuge Planning 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300 Lakewood, CO 80228 303 / 236 8145 CITATION for this document: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2015. Land protection plan for the San Luis Valley Conservation Area. Lakewood, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 151 p. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy, an environmental assessment and land protection plan have been prepared to analyze the effects of establishing the San Luis Valley Conservation Area in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The environmental assessment (appendix A) analyzes the environmental effects of establishing the San Luis Valley Conservation Area. The San Luis Valley Conservation Area land protection plan describes the priorities for acquiring up to 250,000 acres through voluntary conservation easements and up to 30,000 acres in fee title. Note: Information contained in the maps is approximate and does not represent a legal survey. Ownership information may not be complete. Contents Abbreviations . vii Chapter 1—Introduction and Project Description . 1 Purpose of the San Luis Valley Conservation Area . 2 Vision for the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex . 4 Purpose of the Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges . 4 Purpose of the Baca national wildlife refuge . 4 Purpose of the Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area . 4 Issues Identified and Selected for Analysis . 4 Public Review of and Comments on the Draft EA and LPP . 5 National Wildlife Refuge System and Authorities . 6 Related Actions and Activities . 7 San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex . 7 U .S . Fish and Wildlife Service—Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program . 7 USDA Forest Service . 7 Bureau of Land Management . 7 National Park Service . 9 Natural Resources Conservation Service . 9 State of Colorado . 9 Land Trusts . 9 Habitat Protection and the Easement Acquisition Process . 9 Conservation Easements and Other Acquisitions . 10 Chapter 2—Area Description and Resources . 11 Physical Environment . 11 Geology . 11 Minerals . 11 Water and Hydrology . 12 Climate . 14 Biological Environment . 14 Plant Communities . 14 Wildlife . 17 Cultural Resources . 21 Prehistory . 21 Early History . 23 Political Boundaries, Land Grants, and Public Lands . 25 Native Peoples . 26 Settlement . 26 Summary of Known Historic Resources . 28 Socioeconomic Environment . 28 Socioeconomic Profile . 28 Land Use and Ownership Changes Surrounding the conservation area . 30 San luis valley conservation area land conservation efforts . 34 Water Law . 36 IV Land Protection Plan for the San Luis Valley Conservation Area, Colorado and New Mexico Chapter 3—Threats to and Status of Resources . 39 Threats to Resources . 39 Development . 39 Fragmentation . 39 Invasive Species . 40 Water Resources . 40 Cultural Resources . 41 Climate Change . 41 Effects on the Natural and Human Environment . 42 Chapter 4—Project Implementation . 43 Land Protection Choices . 43 No Action . 43 Conservation easements and limited fee-title acquisition (preferred alternative) . 43 Project Objectives and Actions . 44 Collaboration with Land Protection Organizations . 44 Easement Terms and Requirements . 44 Contaminants or Hazardous Materials . 45 Acquisition money . 45 Incorporating Science and Strategic Habitat Conservation in the SLVCA . 45 Strategic Growth of the National Wildlife Refuge System . 45 Strategic Habitat Conservation . 50 Protection Priorities . 51 Species-Habitat Mapping Methodology . 51 Landscape Prioritization . 57 Evaluation of Easement Potential . 61 Socioeconomic Considerations . 61 Public Involvement and Coordination . 61 Scoping . 61 Public Review of the Draft Environmental Assessment and Land Protection Plan . 62 Distribution and Availability . 62 Glossary . 63 Appendix A . 65 Appendix B . 79 Appendix C . 81 Appendix D . 91 Appendix E . 133 Literature Cited . 145 Contents V FIGURES Figure 1. Overview map of the general land cover of the San Luis Valley Conservation Area in Colorado and New Mexico ............................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Map of the San Luis Valley Conservation Area, which will be part of a broader network of.