Help us protect the few remaining un-drilled acres in the HD Mountains from oil and gas development.
Why are the HD Mountains Special?
The HD Mountains are one of the few, undeveloped areas among the lowest-elevation foothills of the San Juan Mountains. A 25,000-acre roadless area comprises most of the HD Mountains, and contains crucial winter range for elk and deer herds as well as sitting astride one of the most highly prized wildlife migration corridors in Colorado. The HD Mountains, named for the brand of an 1800s-era cattle company, include large tracts of old-growth ponderosa pine forest and nationally-recognized cultural resources. The HD Mountains unfortunately are underlain by coalbed methane deposits that have been targeted by the oil and gas industry for decades. Preventing the further industrialization of this landscape in the form of new oil and gas pipelines, additional gas well pads, and large compressor stations has energized advocacy by SJCA members and adjacent landowners since the 1980s.
Culture
Flanked on the east by Chimney Rock National Monument and overlaying Southern Ute Indian tribal lands to the south, an array of Puebloan and non-Puebloan Native American cultural sites are found throughout the HD Mountains. The HD Mountains comprise the viewshed westward from Chimney Rock, and contain several National Register Historic Districts recognizing the significant pre-Puebloan cultural resources.
Environment
The HDs are isolated and hard to access, enough so that 25,000 acres of the mountain range are formally designated as a Colorado Roadless Area. Home to a variety of lower-elevation life zones ranging from 6,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation, the HDs boast a variety of landscapes from old-growth Ponderosa stands to grassy meadows. As such, it is one of the few undeveloped areas of the foothills to the mighty San Juan Mountains farther north.
Wildlife
The HD Mountains are host species dependent on old-growth ponderosa pine, and provide critical year-round and winter range for big game species. The HDs are the southern anchor of an ancient migration route for mule deer and elk moving between wintering grounds to the higher-elevation reaches of the Weminuche Wilderness. The HDs support thriving populations of wild turkeys, bears, mountain lions and migratory birds.
Where are the HDs?
The HDs are a unique low elevation mountain range east of Bayfield in southwestern Colorado. To the east, they are bounded by Chimney Rock National Monument with an array of other Puebloan and non-Puebloan Native American sites found throughout the range. They overlay Southern Ute Indian tribal lands to the south.
Recent News
On July 16, 2024, San Juan Citizens Alliance (SJCA) participated in flights over the Four Corners Region through Ecoflight, continuing a 15-year partnership documenting energy transition and economic diversification through aerial vantage points.
A cherished landscape gained a measure of new protection this month when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed an order creating a 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park that precludes future oil and gas leasing. The decision culminates…
Whitewater boating season offers a metaphor for our local energy supply. We’re in the calm pool edging closer and closer to the lip of the rapid, before plunging into frothy waves below. That’s the position La Plata Electric Association finds…
The Four Corners region is on the cusp of a rapid transformation from coal to renewable energy. The massive coal-fired San Juan Generating Station near Farmington is slated for demolition later this spring, accompanied by the simultaneous construction of large…