Orient Mine

Location:    Saguache County
Size:   329 acres
Designated:   2004
Landowner:    Private

Orient Mine Natural Area contains an abandoned iron mine that is now is a summer roosting site for 250,000-300,000 Brazilian free-tailed bats; the largest population in Colorado. It is the largest all-male “bachelor” colony in the United States. Also on the site is an excellent occurrence of xeric Western Slope pinyon-juniper woodland/needle-and-thread grass plant community. The site is owned and managed by the Orient Land Trust, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the northern San Luis Valley’s natural heritage and biological resources.