Volunteers enlisted to disperse Sand Dunes elk hiding from hunters

Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff is testing the sharpshooting skills of hundreds of volunteers that the agency hopes will help alleviate a wildlife overcrowding problem at Greater Sand Dunes National Park.

In recent years, a large number of elk have taken refuge inside the park during the winter hunting season. Hunting is not permitted there. 

It is permitted, however, in the Greater Sand Dunes National Preserve in the mountains east of the sand dunes, and also in neighboring areas overseen by U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service. 

The elk have apparently learned where the bullets aren't flying. 

Unfortunately, a herd of bison already occupies that beachfront property. And there isn't room for both. 

"Historic levels of elk are leading to adverse impacts on sensitive areas of the park," the National Park Service stated in 2019, "including the wetland vegetation communities where the existing bison herd spends a disproportionate amount of time."

This means bullets will start flying in the safe zone. Again. CPW initiated this "dispersal" program last year. 

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Earlier this month, when the agency asked for applications from citizen volunteers to begin this year's effort, more than 2,000 responded within 24 hours. CPW shut down the application process at that point. 

"This is not a hunting or recreational opportunity - it is an intensive elk management effort," CPW stated in a press release. 

Still, a National Park Service document outlining the nature of the dispersal operation states it includes both hazing and culling. 

"Lethal removal will be conducted by NPS staff with support from authorized agents and trained volunteers, which could include other agency personnel and members of American Indian tribes," the document reads. "Non-lethal hazing methods will include the utilization of hazing by horseback, motorized vehicle, shooting non-lethal rounds, and other noisemaking. Potential impacts from motorized vehicle use will be minimized by limiting motorized vehicle travel to existing roads to the maximum extent practicable."

CPW requires volunteers to undergo testing. They first must pass a qualification shoot which requires hitting small targets - "the size of an elk's vitals" - at 200 and 300 yards. They must hit each target three times in a row without a miss within three minutes.

"This qualification has proven to be difficult for even the most seasoned elk hunters," stated CPW Area Wildlife Manager Rick Basagoitia. "This standard is likely the minimum allowable standard given the difficulty of the work we need volunteers to do." 

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John Livingston, spokesman for CPW's Southwest Region, told CBS4, "This is a unique situation being addressed in a unique way. The issue is that a large number of elk have learned they are safe from hunting pressure in this area and too many are congregating there, which leads to issues of potential increased disease spread, potential increases to game damage, etc."

The rifle shooters will use lead-free ammunition when working on national park property, Livingston added. 

The operation is separate from other CPW herd management plans in the Southwest Region. It has no firm starting date but is scheduled to last into February 2023. 

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According to a 2019 count, 5,000 elk and 1,700 bison occupied the San Luis Valley.

Notably, NPS stated the "redistribution efforts would cease immediately" if elk were sent into nearby agricultural lands.