i. outdoor recreation and wildlife

San Luis Valley Development Resources Group 2013 CEDS

I-1

I. OUTDOOR RECREATION AND WILDLIFE 1. Update on National Trends (Table I-1) Table I-1 contains data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, which give a rough guide to trends in these activities, which are generally more common than skiing and other types of outdoor recreation in our region. Comparing sportspersons to wildlife-watchers, we see the number of wildlife recreationists increased nationally from over 66.1 million in 2001 to 71.8 million in 2011 – an increase of nine percent. Most of these persons stayed within one mile of their home, and a third of them sought their viewing away from home. The sportspersons group at 37.4 million, dropped by a percent thanks largely to a decline in anglers. Angling expenditures of $41.8 billion in 2011 reflected an eight-percent decline over 10 years, as opposed to a five-percent hike in expenditures for hunters. The only spending increase for anglers came in trip-related expenses, which rose by 17 percent. For hunters, the largest increase was trip-related (56 percent). For wildlife watching, total expenditures increased 12 percent to $55 billion, with trip-related expenses showing the largest increase (66 percent). The “other” marked a 22-percent increase, including items such as licenses, stamps, and permits. But hunting, long a mainstay for regional tourism, showed the biggest expenditure hike nationally, climbing by 27 percent from 2001 to $55 billion. Wildlife watching plateaued from 2006 to 2011 but its related expenditures still grew by 12 percent over the decade. 2. Outdoor Recreation Detail (Table I-2) Challenged to find updated information at a county level, we include results from the Outdoor Recreation Participation, Topline Report 2012, in Table I-2, showing numbers and percentage of population six years or older engaged in a wider range of outdoor activities. The study showed increased participation rates in mountain biking, RV camping, bow and rifle hunting, and trail running. A host of winter sports, including four types of skiing and snowshoeing showed increases. While the rate of participation in fishing declined during the period of the study from 2009 through 2011, the sport remained the most popular among adults over the age of 25 with 31.2 million participants. For ages six through 24 running and bicycling were the two most popular with 20.9 million and 17.5 million participants, respectively. Based on our observations, the following would have medium to heavy use in the Valley: driving off-road; primitive area camping; coldwater fishing; horseback riding of all types; downhill skiing; big game hunting; horseback riding on trails; snowmobiling; and waterfowl hunting. The following would have light to low use: viewing wildflowers; viewing and photographing animals; day hiking; wilderness and primitive area visitation; mountain biking; archaeological sites; backpacking on foot; and cross-country skiing. Birdwatching is limited mostly to the crane migrations, but is beginning to gather more interest in other seasons. 3. Watchable Wildlife in Colorado (Table I-3) Table I-3 shows the impact of watchable wildlife activities estimated at $1.4 billion in Colorado. The state’s watchable wildlife impacts exceed hunting by $970 million and fishing by $783 million. Trip related expenses


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made up the biggest expense for wildlife watchers, totaling $722 million in 2011. Estimates on trip expenditures in Colorado show the highest portion spent on food and lodging, which totaled $353 million in table I-2. 4. Big Game Animals and Hunting (Tables I-4A – 4C) Table I-4 gives some idea of the big game populations in various Division of Wildlife management units in the Valley. Elk and deer populations are estimated at 31,470 and 15,090, respectively. The elk herd in the Culebra Range, which ranges between Costilla, Huerfano and Las Animas counties, is the largest. Among the valley’s deer herds, the biggest can be found in game units 80 and 82, which take in parts of Rio Grande and Conejos counties. Since 2008, elk populations declined from 44,710 in 2008 to 31,470 in 2011. During the same span deer declined from 16,710 to 15,090. Elk drew the largest number of hunters to the valley with their yearly totals sitting between 15,000 and 17,000. Game unit 81, which covers almost all of Conejos County, had the most hunters. Game management unit 682 is made up almost entirely of private land in the north end of the Valley and draws relatively few elk hunters, but it had highest success rates of any in the region. Game management unit 83 in Costilla County had the biggest deer harvest, as hunters took 1,079 animals between 2008 and 2012. Hunters in that unit also had the highest success rates, ranging from 81 percent in 2009 to 90 percent in 2012. 5. Fishing Compared with many of areas of the State, the Valley enjoys an extensive number of public fishing areas with moderate summer use and light use in the spring and fall. Trout species include Rainbow, Snake River and Yellowstone Cutthroat, Brown, and Brook. Reservoir water priority is for agriculture, but in normal water years they produce many fish in the 16-20 inch range and occasional larger fish. Gold Medal waters are provided near South Fork, and a few waters are managed for quality fishing by fly or lure only, special limit, and size restrictions. Sanchez Reservoir is the Valley’s largest and offers Northern Pike and limited Walleye and Yellow Perch fishing. Some ponds on the Blanca Wetlands have Largemouth Black Bass and Bluegill, and the Rio Grande has large pike in normal years. 6. Birds An estimated 20,000 greater sandhill cranes migrate through the Valley in spring and fall to and from breeding grounds in southeast Idaho and wintering grounds at the Bosque del Apache NWR in Socorro, New Mexico. The greatest concentrations are normally found at the Monte Vista NWR, and the city sponsors a crane festival in March. Habitats vary greatly between the mountains, foothills, and Valley floor, and a surprising number of micro-environments occur in pockets and corners of the Valley supported by a water source. Species found around the rivers, lakes, wetlands, cities, and farmed lands vary greatly from those in the dry brush.


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A fair number of passerine migrants also travel the path of the Rio Grande, which often brings unusual species. About 220 species are found here in four seasons, with perhaps as many as 20-30 unusual birds over a number of years. While specific information on outdoor recreation trends specific to our region is rare, we have noticed some national data indicating that birding activity is not as popular for growing as fast as it was in the early part of the 2000 decade. In Colorado, however, we are observing an increase in interest and activity as witnessed on the COBIRDS reports. A greater number of birders are also engaging in more trips and associated spending, with a special interest in hard-to-find mountain species. Colorado Parks and Wildlife and three birding organizations joined to implement the Colorado Birding Trail, which links public and private sites into a network through a designated driving route. Four trails are identified in the Valley: The Blanca Trail takes in the valley floor with desert shrub, flooded fields, playa lakes, and reedbeds. It is home to sage and Brewer’s sparrows, jackrabbits, and wildflowers. The wetland areas provide a natural habitat of stilts, avocets, ibises, and ducks. The Sandhill Crane Trail finds thousands of sandhill cranes flocking to the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge in the spring, as well as other locations in the Valley. Often visible on the trail’s route are eagles, golden and bald. The Silver Thread Trail includes the high country with some of the region’s most spectacular mountain scenery. It is home to thrushes, finches, and five species of woodpeckers. On the Wolf Creek Trail, subalpine spruce forests stretch for miles filled with swifts and swallows, pine grosbeaks and boreal owls. The trails can be found at www.coloradobirdingtrail.com. 7. Skiing (Table I-5) Wolf Creek Ski Area is the valley’s lone ski area. It enjoyed a record season in the winter of 2011-’12 with 227,306 skier visits. The record year was aided by an October snowstorm that allowed for the earliest opening in the history of the state. The ski area had an annual visitation rate of 190,380 skiers since 1997 and an annual growth rate in visits of 4 percent, according to its master plan submitted to the U.S. Forest Service. The ski area has proposed a terrain expansion of 1,000 acres and a series of facilities expansions that could take over a decade to implement should it earn approvals from the San Juan and Rio Grande national forests. Those projects include the replacement of one ski lift, the construction of five others and a new guest services facility near the ski area’s summit, among other improvements. Back country skiing is also on the rise, according to the 2012 Top Line Report. Forms of skiing other than alpine, including Cross-country, freestyle and telemarking all saw their participation rates climb by double digits (Table I-2). While local participation data is not available, the demand for backcountry skiing is enough to support at least one guiding business – San Juan Snowcat in Creede.


I-4

8. Trails A coalition of government officials and community members began meeting in 2011 to identify, inventory and produce a comprehensive regional trail system. In 2012, Great Outdoors Colorado awarded a grant for the development of the San Luis Valley Trails and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan, which is expected to be completed spring 2014. The group will also seek funding to develop a map and to improve trail and recreation activities around the Valley. To learn more about San Luis Valley Great Outdoors visit www.slvgo.com .


I-5

Map I-1

Elk Winter Habitat

Source: San Luis Valley GIS/GPS Authority


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Map I-2

Deer Winter Habitat



I-7

Map I-3

Pronghorn Winter Habitat



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Map I-4

Game Management Units



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Map I-5

Fishing Sites



I-10

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I-11

Source: The Outdoor Foundation, Outdoor Recreation Participation, Topline Report 2012.

http://www.outdoorfoundation.org/research.participation.2012.htm

*Percent of population for respective age group.

Activity (Ages 6 years old and older) 2009 2010 2011% Change

2009-2011

Backpacking overnight – more

than ¼ mile from home/vehicle 7,647 8,349 7,095 -9.8

Bicycling – Mountain/Non-paved 7,142 7,161 6,816 5.9

Bicycling – Road/Paved 40,140 39,320 40,349 -10.2

Birdwatching 13,294 13,339 12,794 -11.2

Camping – RV 17,436 15,865 16,698 1.1

Camping – within ¼ mile of

home/vehicle 34,338 30,996 32,925 -2.3

Canoeing 10,058 10,553 9,787 -1.5

Climbing –

Traditional/Ice/Mountaineering 1,835 2,198 1,618 -29.3

Fishing – Fly 5,568 5,478 5,360 -9.8

Fishing – Freshwater 40,961 38,860 39,071 -3.1

Hiking – Day 332,572 32,496 34,491 6.1

Hunting – Bow 4,226 3,908 4,633 24.5

Hunting – Rifle 11,114 10,150 10,807 4.5

Hunting – Shotgun 8,490 8,062 8,678 -0.6

Rafting 4,318 4,460 3,821 -17.9

Running/Jogging 43,892 49,408 50,713 23.3

Skateboarding 735 6,808 5,827 -25.4

Skiing – Alpine/Downhill 10,919 11,504 10,201 -1.4

Skiing – Cross-country 4,157 4,530 4,318 12.2

Skiing – Freestyle 2,950 3,647 3,641 34.3

Snowboarding 7,421 8,196 7,572 5.8

Snowshoeing 3,431 3,823 4,111 40.7

Telemarking 1,482 1,821 2,099 46.3

Trail Running 4,833 5,136 5,610 15.5

Wildlife Viewing 21,291 21,025 21,964 -8.9

Percent Number

1. Fishing – All types 15.1% 31.2 million

2. Running/Jogging/Trail Running 14.8% 30.6 million

3. Camping – All types 12.7% 26.1 million

4. Bicycling – All types 12.4% 25.5 million

5. Hiking 11.8% 24.2 million

1. Running/Jogging/Trail Running 26.2% 20.9 million

2. Bicycling – All types 21.9% 17.5 million

3. Camping – All types 20.6% 16.4 million

4. Fishing – All types 18.8% 15 million

5. Hiking 12.9% 10.3 million

Table I-2

Favorite Outdoor Activities by Participation Rate

Numbers in thousands

National Participation in Outdoor Activities, 2009-2011

Participation Rate*Activity

Adults 25 years +

Youth 6 years to 24 years


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*Does not add to total for all participants because of multiple responses and non-responses.

** Expenditures for “Other” are included in “Equipment” for years 2001 and 2006.

Sources: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, State Overview, September 2012.

http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/NationalSurvey/National_Survey.htm

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation - Colorado.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/fhw06-co.pdf

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation - Colorado.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/fhw01-co.pdf

Activity Expenditures Participants* Expenditures Participants* Expenditures Participants* Expenditures Participants*

Fishing $645,891 915 $542,937 660 $648,563 767 0.41% -16%

Trip-Related $305,716 $300,324 $403,569

Equipment $340,175 $242,613 $213,528

Other N/A** N/A** $31,466

Hunting $382,599 281 $444,061 259 $460,914 259 20% -8%

Trip-Related $185,738 $288,325 $220,754

Equipment $196,861 $155,736 $185,179

Other N/A** N/A** $54,981

Wildlife Watching $624,402 1,552 $1,387,621 1,819 $1,432,084 1,782 129% 15%

Trip-Related $416,734 $537,427 $615,636

Equipment $207,668 $850,193 $722,249

Other N/A** N/A** $94,199

All Activities* $1,652,892 2,138 $2,374,619 2,243 $2,984,156 2,315 81% 8%

Table I-3

Colorado Participation in Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 2011

(Participants 16 years old and older.)

Figures in thousands.

2001 2006 2011 % change 2001-2011


I-13

http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/Statistics/Pages/Statistics.aspx

Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total

68 314 302 213 214 217 1,260

76 412 456 439 404 394 2,105

79 248 211 72 159 77 767

80 269 510 332 386 327 1,824

81 502 470 364 373 484 2,193

82 381 449 392 425 305 1,952

83 561 389 541 692 406 2,589

681 140 185 157 161 121 764

682 94 82 90 129 30 425

791 22 29 25 42 23 141

Total 2,943 3,083 2,625 2,985 2,384 14,020

Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total

68 98 80 121 100 131 530

76 31 21 26 28 30 136

79 147 168 191 150 156 812

80 170 218 138 199 215 940

81 127 183 190 156 244 900

82 158 125 147 163 145 738

83 194 189 242 231 223 1,079

681 124 153 133 169 125 704

682 0 0 13 6 8 27

791 49 48 32 21 9 159

Total 1,098 1,185 1,233 1,223 1,286 6,025

Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total

68 5 5 5 4 3 22

76 0 0 0 0

79 27 38 29 33 31 158

80 5 5 8 4 1 23

81 10 22 18 13 20 83

82 103 88 83 87 83 444

83 5 3 0 3 3 14

681 13 11 26 24 9 83

682 0 0 0 0 0 0

791 2 0 0 0 3 5

Total 170 172 169 168 153 832

Table I-4A

Elk

Deer

Pronghorn

Big Game Harvests, 2008-2012

Source: Colorado Division Parks and Wildlife Web site. Accessed Nov. 2013.


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Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011

82 5,150 5,060 4,910 4,900

68, 681 4,590 4,250 4,030 3,850

80, 81 7,800 6,850 7,260 7,330

83, 85, 851,

1401*21,430 19,280 16,140 10,630

76, 79 5,440 4,920 4,480 4,760

791, 682 300 300 300 300

Total 44,710 40,660 37,120 31,470

Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011

68, 681, 682 4,170 3,940 4,260 3,680

83 2,500 2,220 1,890 1,590

80, 81 5,410 5,170 4,430 5,800

76, 79, 791 2,640 2,420 2,320 2,230

82 1,990 1,680 1,590 1,790

Total 16,710 15,430 14,490 15,090

Unit 2008 2009 2010 2011

14 2,060 2,400 2,280 2,420

20 2,120 2,160 1,990 2,010

Total 4,180 4,560 4,270 4,430

Table I-4B

Big Game Population, 2008-2011

*Game Units 85, 851 and 140 lie in Huerfano in Las Animas

counties.

Note: Data Analysis Unit 14 includes Game Management Units 681,

68, 79, 791, 682, 82 and corresponds roughly to the north end of the

San Luis Valley. Unit 20 includes Game Management Units 80, 81,

and 83 and sits in the south end of the Valley.

Elk

Deer

Pronghorn


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Unit

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

68 2,440 13 2,327 13 2,407 9 2,236 10 2,219 10

76 1,203 34 1,160 39 1,115 38 1,124 36 1,071 37

79 2,116 11 1,731 12 1,313 5 1,164 14 938 8

80 3,062 9 2,896 18 3,334 10 2,744 14 2,762 12

81 3,412 15 3,268 14 3,281 11 2,807 13 3,139 15

82 1,687 23 1,830 25 1,864 21 2,276 19 2,241 14

83 1,296 43 1,108 35 1,583 34 1,546 45 1,477 27

681 1,429 10 1,537 12 1,588 10 1,355 12 1,404 10

682 140 67 153 54 159 57 168 77 86 37

791 49 45 56 52 78 32 55 76 55 42

Total 16,834 17.5% 16,066 19.2% 16,722 15.7% 15,475 19.3% 15,392 15.5%

Unit

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

68 220 45 224 36 288 42 255 39 296 44

76 71 44 72 29 63 41 69 41 497 33

79 246 60 257 65 256 75 254 59 241 65

80 409 42 473 46 484 29 486 41 442 49

81 362 35 183 368 474 40 449 35 458 53

82 262 60 259 48 288 51 291 56 301 48

83 223 87 232 81 282 86 259 89 247 90

681 197 63 269 57 244 55 289 58 238 53

682 6 0 2 0 26 50 18 33 18 44

791 85 58 85 56 84 38 45 47 30 30

Total 2081 52.8% 2056 57.6% 2489 49.5% 2415 50.6% 2768 46.5%

Unit

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

Number

of

Hunters

Success

Rate (%)

68 9 56 7 71 6 83 8 50 6 50

76 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

79 34 79 50 76 45 64 39 85 40 78

80 5 10 5 100 15 53 6 67 6 17

81 34 29 29 76 22 82 16 81 21 95

82 126 82 119 74 121 69 108 81 133 62

83 5 100 7 43 2 0 3 100 7 43

681 22 59 24 46 50 52 37 65 15 60

682 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

791 2 100 2 0 0 0 2 0 9 33

Total 237 71.7% 246 69.9% 261 64.8% 222 75.7% 239 64.0%

Pronghorn

Please Note: Hunter success percentage is calculated by dividing the harvest totals for each species in Table I-4A by the number of

hunter in a unit in a given year.

Source: Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife website, "Big Game Statistics." Accessed Nov. 2013

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

2010 2011 2012

Table I-4C

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Hunter Success

2008 2009

Elk

Deer


I-16

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5402046.pdf

Year Skier Visits Annual Growth Rate

2007-08 195, 583 12%

2008-09 178,517 -9%

2009-10 198,602 11%

2010-11 192,022 -3%

2011-12 227,306 18%

Average 199,112 6%

Table I-5

Wolf Creek Ski Area

Source: Wolf Creek Ski Area Master Development Plan,

accessed Nov. 2013 on Rio Grande National Forest web

site.

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