San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex

11/08/2026

11/06/2026

Planning to hunt near Great Sand Dunes? Make sure you know where hunting is allowed and how to help protect wildlife by reporting suspected poaching.

Hunting is ONLY permitted in Great Sand Dunes National Preserve, not in the National Park and only with a valid license and during legal hunting seasons. Please be familiar with hunting access, closure orders, and regulations before beginning your hunt.

Collecting antlers is not allowed anywhere within Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

If you witness suspicious activity or possible poaching:
• Do NOT confront or approach the individuals.
• Stay safe, observe from a distance.
• Note key details:
• Exact location (GPS if possible)
• Time and date
• Vehicle make, model, color, license plate
• Number of people involved, clothing, gear, or weapons
• Take photos or video only if safe to do so

To report incidents occurring on National Park Service lands, contact Colorado State Patrol 24/7 Dispatch at (719) 589-5807. Dispatchers can notify a U.S. Park Ranger.

Learn more about hunting regulations and seasons:
Go.nps.gov/GRSA_Hunting

NPS Graphic

10/21/2026

A welcome sight in Cottonwood Creek! 💧

This barred tiger salamander was spotted swimming in a pool along Cottonwood Creek on Baca National Wildlife Refuge. Monsoon rains, recent rainfall, and snowmelt from fresh snowfall in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains have been replenishing creeks and pools across the refuge. Even with cooler fall temperatures, salamanders are still active in the water!

This one appears to be a juvenile. Hopefully, these valuable pools will hold water long enough for it to complete metamorphosis and begin life on land.

Young tiger salamanders live in water, breathing through feathery external gills and hunting insects and other small aquatic animals. As they undergo metamorphosis, their gills and tail fins shrink, preparing them for a life spent largely in underground burrows.

It’s wonderful to see water returning to the refuge—and the wildlife these pools support!

10/19/2026

Cranes & Elk
“Gar-oo-oo” & “Bugles” 😊

10/19/2026

The sounds of Fall

San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex

10/03/2026

Good morning from the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge

10/02/2026

A watchful mule deer buck along Crestone Creek 🦌

This handsome mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) was recently spotted near Crestone Creek on Baca National Wildlife Refuge.

In the arid San Luis Valley, waterways such as Crestone Creek create important riparian corridors that provide wildlife with water, forage, shade, cover, and travel routes across the landscape. Although riparian areas make up only a small portion of Baca Refuge, they support some of the richest wildlife diversity found here.

Recent monsoon rains have brought a welcome influx of water into Crestone Creek, replenishing flows from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and bringing new moisture to the surrounding landscape. For wildlife such as mule deer, these wet corridors can provide valuable water, vegetation, cover, and feeding opportunities during an otherwise dry time of year.

Mule deer are primarily browsers, feeding on the leaves, twigs, and other parts of shrubs and woody vegetation. During the fall, bucks like this one are also approaching the breeding season, or rut, when their attention increasingly turns toward finding does and competing with other bucks.

Crestone Creek is one of six creeks flowing onto Baca National Wildlife Refuge from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. These mountain-fed waterways, strengthened seasonally by rainfall and snowmelt, help create ribbons of life through an otherwise dry landscape—benefiting everything from mule deer to birds, amphibians, and native fish. 💧🌿🦌

Photo by USFWS: A mule deer buck with large antlers stands among shrubs near Crestone Creek on Baca National Wildlife Refuge, looking toward the camera beneath a cloudy blue-gray sky.

09/28/2026

Good morning from the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge 🌅

07/30/2026

Join us for fall migration bird walk programs!!

07/08/2026

🏠 Government Surplus Auction – Open to the Public!
Looking for a project or extra housing? A 1999 Mobile Home Bunkhouse located at Baca National Wildlife Refuge near Crestone, Colorado is now available through a GSA online public auction.

📅 Bidding: July 8–15, 2026
💲 Starting bid: $100
🔍 Public inspection is available by appointment.

Visit gsaauctions.gov and search Auction #3-1-QSC-I-26-444-001 for photos, details, and bidding information.

Please review the auction description carefully, as the property is being sold as-is. Good luck to all bidders!