Winter in and around Durango is cold, especially up in the San Juan Mountains, where snow and frigid temperatures lock the craggy peaks and dark valleys into an icy chill for six months of the year.
For mule deer, elk and other wildlife that spent the summer foraging in idyllic high-alpine environs, that cold pushes them to migrate to lower elevations where food is more abundant and temps, while still cold, are milder.
As a result, the city of Durango announced Sunday that to protect wintering wildlife, it, the Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife will close trails in their respective jurisdictions, including Grandview Ridge, Animas City Mountain, Twin Buttes, Bodo State Wildlife Area and the Durango Mesa Park downhill trails.
Smelter Mountain Trail will remain open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. but will prohibit dogs during winter. But the other affected trails will close until spring, according to the news release.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman John Livingston said it’s import to respect closures and bring dogs only where allowed – and keep them leashed – to prevent wildlife from fleeing and burning valuable calorie reserves.
“They’re much more aware of disturbances from humans,” Livingston said. “(Elk and deer) are incredibly smart animals and will try to avoid anything that they see as a potential threat, which includes humans and especially their dogs as well. So it’s just about them not having to move and displace and burn calories unnecessarily.”
Livingston said it is important to help deer and elk conserve what precious little calories their bodies have stored up so they can survive until mid-April, when green plant life usually begins to return.
According to a CPW news release, wildlife officials close certain public areas to give animals space to search for food without the added stress of avoiding people and dogs, which they perceive as predators.
“Deep snow or ground covered by a layer of hard, crusted snow may also make it impossible for animals to reach what little forage may remain on the ground level,” the CPW release said. “Added stress to wildlife caused by the presence of human recreation that displaces them from an area could result in death.”
While closed trails are usually clearly marked, CPW still sees people using the trails every winter, the release said. Violating the closures could land someone a $139.50 fine.
According to the city news release, closing trails to protect wintering wildlife only works if residents obey the posted trail closures.
“Local land management agencies collaborate to identify key wildlife areas for protection while continuing to maintain areas and trails that remain open for winter recreation,” the release said.
Livingston said feeding big game animals through the winter is illegal and can do more harm than good.
“We get folks that leave carrots out or buy different kind of deer biscuits, or they have hay out on their property that they let the deer eat,” Livingston said. “Their metabolisms have naturally developed over thousands of years to gut out these winters and to survive on their own.
“Changes in their metabolism or different kinds of human food sources that might not be natural for them could cause them all kinds of stomach issues, or could even lead to death in some cases,” he said.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
