Following the recent acquisition of a large portion of the Huntington Ranch located in Southwest La Plata County, Colo., the Bureau of Reclamation is suspending public access to the property. The ranch, located along the La Plata River Drainage, totals nearly 6000 acres and is located in Colorado Game Management Unit 741. Reclamation has received numerous inquiries about public access to the area for hunting and other recreational uses.

Reclamation is now in the process of finalizing relevant land management plans related to the recent land acquisition. This area will remain closed to public access until these land management planning issues are resolved. Reclamation acquired the land for wildlife and wetland and riparian mitigation purposes related to the Animas-La Plata Project. Consideration is being given to opening the land for hunting and other forms of recreation access in the future. For further information, call Bill Walsh, Bureau of Reclamation, at (970) 385-6554.