Trust Our Land: Willingly waiting for wildlife

Eagle County is home to some incredible wildlife. Deer, elk, and our other furry neighbors inspire us and give us reason to tread lightly in the backcountry. Like many in our community, wildlife has had a challenging year. The recent cold snap probably didn’t help anyone, either.

The wildlife that descends into our valleys each winter isn’t just visiting for fun. They move with the seasons to find the best foraging opportunities. In the summer, they have lots of room to roam in the alpine, subalpine, and montane forests away from human population centers. But when the snowpacks are deep at higher elevations, they tuck into the open spaces and riparian areas throughout our community.

Many of these spaces, like the Eagle River Preserve Open Space in Edwards or the Brush Creek Valley Ranch and Open Space in Eagle, are permanently protected by the Eagle Valley Land Trust via conservation easements — legal agreements with the landowners that permanently limit development. Many other parcels protected by Eagle Valley Land Trust, like the Miller Ranch Open Space, serve as migration corridors to allow animals to move between protected areas and foraging opportunities.

But a mosaic of protected land in our community isn’t enough to protect our wild neighbors for the long term. It’s up to you, me, and the rest of our community to live in harmony with wildlife — a responsibility that unites all of us. When taken by many, a few simple steps to limit our collective impact on wildlife go a long way.

Wildlife closures

Wildlife closures are one of our community’s most important tools for giving wildlife the space they need during times of the year when they are most vulnerable. Right now, elk and deer are in survival mode; even the slightest disturbances can have cumulative impacts throughout the winter and spring. Even a disturbance as seemingly small as a jogger in the distance is enough to raise an elk’s heartbeat and stress level. As our community’s population grows, so too must our respect for wildlife and their needs.

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Fortunately, local awareness about the importance of trail closures has been growing thanks to important work from some of our partners like the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance. Its mission is to connect our community to the outdoors through sustainable recreation.

Even during the winter, many of us are bursting with excitement to get out on our favorite trails as soon as they re-open. VVMTA has us covered — its website is the definitive guide to our community’s trails and seasonal wildlife closures.

Other ways to protect wildlife

There are many ways to help protect the wildlife we all love this winter. Have you taken the Respect The Wild Pledge? If you’re still reading, chances are you’re already more than halfway there. The key tenets are to Respect Wildlife, Respect Trail Closures, and Keep Your Dog Leashed. Learn more and take the pledge on VVMTA’s website.

And one last tip: to be a friend to wildlife, give them space year-round even once trails re-open. A handy trick is to measure your distance using your thumb. If you are lucky enough to encounter an animal on an open trail, extend your arm fully, close one eye, put up your thumb, and try to block the animal with it. If your thumb fully covers the animal, your distance is adequate. If you can’t cover the animal with your thumb, slowly give it more space until you can. These actions may just save that animal’s life.

Bergen Tjossem is the deputy director at the Eagle Valley Land Trust, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to protecting land for our community. To learn more about EVLT’s local land conservation work, visit EVLT.org.