The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a special place worthy of protection from all types of development that could threaten the beautiful vistas and rural solitude found in the San Luis Valley. Coloradans and this state’s political leaders must monitor with care proposals to lease federal land parcels for oil and gas development that come as close as one mile to the park.

However — and this is a big, reassuring detail — the parcels that have been nominated for development are not in the San Luis Valley. All 18,000 acres under consideration for a lease auction in September are on the other side of the towering Sangre de Cristo mountains from the park.

That’s a natural buffer that at times peaks at 14,000 feet and would protect the park from any ensuing light pollution, air pollution, unsightly temporary drilling rigs and heavy truck traffic. When taking that fact into consideration, the proximity of these proposed sites to the park become much less concerning, although clearly still a factor to consider.

This state should take heart that the Bureau of Land Management is not proposing leases a mile from the park entrance in an area north of Alamosa that attracts thousands of visitors and helps drive the economy.

We’ll wait eagerly for the Bureau of Land Management’s environmental assessment of the impact oil and gas development could have on the east side of the mountain range, which is also a beautiful area worthy of protection. That assessment should be coming out next week and the public will have 15 days to comment on the proposal to lease 11 parcels.

The input from landowners and residents in the area northwest of Walsenburg is also critical to consider to understand the impact this will have on everyone.

If the proposal proceeds, the sales would occur in September.

Rightly, our community of environmental activists are on heightened alert as President Donald Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke look to aggressively increase oil and gas production on federal lands. We’re certain that some of their proposals, like the controversial oil and gas leases proposed outside of Utah’s Zion National Park, will go too far.

“While I support a diverse economy, these particular sites are not ideal for extraction,” Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said in a letter to the Bureau of Land Management. “Their economy is dependent upon recreation and tourism.”

So too is the area around the Sangre de Cristo mountains that receives a sustaining boost from outdoor recreation, whether it’s hikers, backpackers and mountain climbers, or hunters, anglers and recreational vehicle enthusiasts.

All of these transactions require a delicate balance between uses and we trust the Bureau of Land Management is equipped to adequately consider the impacts of all uses.

In Utah, the leases were revoked, in part because of Herbert’s stance.

In Colorado, we expect the same level of scrutiny will befall these and other proposed leases.

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