![](https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=3840,quality=75,format=auto/https://wp-cpr.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/05/6078157792_8918f4a2b3.jpg)
The Great Sand Dunes are one of the country’s newest national parks. They’re also a popular destination in Colorado for summer travelers. But the story of the park’s creation doesn’t start with sand. It starts with WATER. And a battle that, 25 years ago, brought ranchers and hippies together. Frederick Reimers writes about the unusual story in a recent issue of Nature Conservancy Magazine. He speaks with Ryan Warner.
[Photo: Anna Hanel]