The San Juan National Forest recently established the Grizzly Peak Research Natural Area to preserve its ecological diversity.
The remote 3,254-acre area northeast of Rico is stunning for its rugged wilderness qualities. It sits along the western flanks of Grizzly Peak, San Miguel Peak and Sheep Mountain at elevations ranging between 10,140 feet and 13,752 feet.
The rarely visited terrain encompasses the summits of the Rico Mountains and the headwaters of the Dolores River. It has no roads or designated trails, has no historical logging, has never been mined or substantially grazed.
The additional protection was triggered by the region’s undisturbed diversity of flora and fauna, mountain wetlands, mature alpine grasslands, alpine tundra, and mature spruce-fir forest.
“The area was set aside because it has not been impacted by human development,” said Derek Padilla, Dolores District ranger. “It provides a research benchmark for what a natural area should look like when comparing development impacts on other areas.”
Several stands of spruce-fir forests in the RNA contain trees more than 300 years old. There are also 21 acres of peatland fens and other sections of willow carrs, both types of high-altitude wetlands.
Fens are a type of wetland situated in depressions fed by run-off and groundwater. They are characterized by accumulation of dying vegetation called peat on their surface, and can harbor unique plants and mosses, explained Tim Cutter, of the local Mountain Studies Institute.
The low oxygen (anaerobic) conditions of fens slow the decay rate of organic material, he said. Underneath they can have preserved logs that are hundreds, even thousands of years old.
“Fens are extremely hard to restore or renew,” Cutter said. “They build up over thousands of years and can dry up due to development.”
The Grizzly Peak RNA prohibits motorized uses roads and trails, and is closed to logging, mining, and livestock grazing. Non-motorized cross-country travel is permitted, as well as hunting. Fire is managed for resource benefit.
Snowmobilers had been accessing the area from the East Fork off Lizard Head Pass, but they will no longer be allowed to do so.
Padilla said local and state snowmobile organizations have been contacted about the new closure. This summer the area will be signed and identify permitted uses.
The East Fork trail skirts the southwestern edge of the Grizzly Peak RNA. The area can also be accessed from Bolam Pass.
The untouched wilderness justified further protection, according to the RNA designation order.
“The Grizzly Peak RNA contains subalpine-fir forest, subalpine and alpine grassland, and wetlands in excellent condition. The area is large enough that landscape-scale processes important to maintaining ecosystem processes, such as fire, freeze-thaw, and landslides, can operate freely. Consequently, the RNA makes a great addition to serve as a reference or baseline for observing ecological changes including climate change, to serve as a control area for comparing results from manipulative research, and to maintain a spectrum of representative ecosystem types for the region.”
