Colorado Open Lands
North Fork Valley CCA Projects
Aspenstand
Bar K Ranch
East Roatcap Ranch
Eden Ranch
Flying U Ranch
Flying U Ranch II
J Cotter J Ranch
Lamborn Valley Farm
Milstein Farm
Puma Reserve
Red Bluff Ranch I
Red Bluff Ranch II
Roatcap Ranch I
Roatcap Ranch II
Roatcap Ranch III
Smith Ranch
Sunrise Canyon Ranch
Sunswept Farm I
Sunswept Farm II
Wood Family Ranch
2007
Aspenstand, Delta County, 133 acres
Partners: Hamilton Family, Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Aspenstand conservation easement preserves 133 acres of beautiful meadows and aspen forests in the Upper Surface Creek Valley northeast of Cedaredge. There are two springs and a quarter-mile reach of Milk Creek, a pristine mountain stream. Nearly 1,000 acres surrounding the Aspenstand property have conservation easements, adding to the relevance and importance of this newly protected acreage. This part of the south edge of Grand Mesa is biologically diverse and offers deer and elk winter habitat that isn’t as climatically harsh as the main part of the Mesa. Wildlife species use the Aspenstand property extensively.
A family partnership has stewarded the property for many years, and several generations enjoy vacationing there. Family members are very pleased to be able to keep this family treasure in its current undeveloped state through the conservation easement. Their goal is to maximize the natural habitat values of their property, and seasonal livestock grazing in small numbers has proven to be an effective habitat management technique. This easement contributes to an emerging large-scale conservation landscape along the south rim of Grand Mesa.
East Roatcap Ranch, Delta County, 80 acres
Partners: Mary McCarney, Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: This ranch is located directly adjacent to (on the east side of) the McClures’ Roatcap Ranch and contains a one-half mile portion of East Roatcap Creek which flows through the center of the property. The ranch is surrounded by BLM lands on its north and east boundaries.
Although owned separately, the Roatcap Ranch and the East Roatcap Ranch are operated agriculturally as one unit. Historical uses of the property include hay production, livestock grazing, and recreational hunting. Going further back, the ranch was once occupied by the Ute Indian tribe which camped and hunted for game in the area. Wildlife is still abundant on the ranch, which contains habitat for elk, mule deer, black bear, mountain lion, bald eagle, ferruginous hawk and northern pocket gopher.
Flying U Ranch (Phase II), Delta County, 110.5 acres (230.5 acres total)
Partners: Kurt and Shari Ulrich, Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: This is the second conservation easement on the Flying U Ranch, located on Fruitland Mesa, southwest of Crawford, Colorado. The property has a combination of irrigated cropland and relatively natural habitat such as piñon-juniper woodlands and sagebrush shrubland. As a result, the Flying U Ranch helps support a resident mule deer herd and serves as severe winter range for elk.
The property is highly scenic and provides spectacular views of the West Elk Range and Needle Rock, a prominent local landmark. The Flying U Ranch also provides pastoral views from Black Canyon Road, the only road accessing the north rim of the Black Canyon within Black Canyon National Park.
J Cotter J Ranch, Delta County, 116 acres
Partners: Theron Johnson, Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The J Cotter J Ranch lies above Bell Creek along the north edge of Bone Mesa, one of the most intact agricultural areas in the North Fork Valley. A mosaic of public and private lands on the mesa has provided benefits to wildlife and agriculture for more than 100 years. The ranch contains about 50 acres of irrigated hay meadows on the mesa top, while dry pasture for livestock descends into the Bell Creek valley bottom. There are 40 acres of naturally-vegetated riparian wetlands and springs along one-half mile of Bell Creek, tributary to the North Fork of the Gunnison River.
In addition to the agricultural productivity provided by irrigated hay crops and year-round livestock pasture, the ranch provides critical wildlife habitat. This winter area for elk and deer is connected to the West Elk Wilderness migration corridor through Bell Creek drainage across Lamborn and Stewart Mesas. Bell Creek is a year-round stream that provides habitat for beavers, waterfowl and songbirds. Wildlife species of special interest present on the ranch include bald eagles, sandhill cranes, ferruginous hawks, and northern leopard frogs. “With this conservation easement I hope to be able to improve the wetland areas and increase waterfowl use of our ranch,” said Theron Johnson.
Lamborn Valley Farm, Delta County, 97 acres
Partners: Lucia Vorys, Lamborn Valley Farm, Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Lamborn Valley Farm is a fixture in the Paonia community, with an organic garden and twenty-acre orchard that supply produce and value-added products such as jams and breads through the Farm’s “Old River Road Trading Post” farming cooperative and “Lamborn’s Ladle,” a restaurant specializing in locally-grown organic foods. Each year, the Lamborn Valley Farm’s learning center educates an average of 40 school children and 15 college-age interns about organic crop production and livestock management. The Farm also hosts educational workshops for adults from all over the country, including workshops by Solar Energy International.
The Conservation Values of the Property include Relatively Natural Habitat and Open Space. The Farm contains an approximately 3,000-foot reach of the North Fork of the Gunnison River and its naturally-vegetated riparian corridor and irrigated fields that provide food, shelter, breeding ground, and migration corridors for several wildlife species, and a significant winter concentration area for American elk. The property also provides stunning gateway views entering the Town of Paonia from Colorado Highway 133 the “West Elk Loop Scenic Byway”. Lucia Vorys and the Lamborn Valley Farm donated the conservation easement to Colorado Open Lands to safeguard the agricultural, educational, open space, and wildlife values of the property in perpetuity.
Red Bluff Ranch II, Delta County, 92 acres
Partners: Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Red Bluff Ranch lies a few miles west of the town of Cedaredge in western Delta County where it is clearly visible to the general public from several county roads. Cedaredge is located within the scenic Surface Creek Valley, on the south side of Grand Mesa National Forest.
The area was originally a seasonal hunting location for Ute Indians. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, the property was likely homesteaded and fruit orchards established. During the 1930s, the ranch became one of several properties owned by Palmer and Company, a large fruit producing company. For the past 18 years, the property has been used more for livestock production and less for fruit production.
Roatcap Ranch III, Delta County, 150 acres (300 total acres protected)
Partners: Mike and Joy McClure, Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: This year, the McClure family donated another conservation easement on their Roatcap Ranch, which lies a few miles northwest of the Town of Paonia in eastern Delta County. The ranch derives its name from its proximity to the confluence of the east and west branches of Roatcap Creek. From a broader perspective, the ranch sits on Stucker Mesa on the Colorado Plateau between the Grand Mesa National Forest and the Gunnison Gorge in the Gunnison River watershed.
The land protected this year lies directly adjacent to (south of) the previous easements, completing protection of the entire ranch in perpetuity. Used primarily for irrigated crop production and seasonal livestock grazing, the ranch is clearly visible to the general public from BLM lands that border it to the west and south. East of the ranch is a stunning view of the West Elk Mountains.
2006
Bar K Ranch, Gunnison County, 160 acres
Partners: Bar K Ranch, Inc., Gunnison Ranchland Conservation Legacy, with funding from the Conservation Resource Center
Conservation Values: This parcel of the Bar K Ranch is a private inholding in the Gunnison National Forest along the West Muddy Creek drainage located between Paonia and Marble. Originally homesteaded as a school site for the children of settlers in this remote area in 1922, the parcel was acquired by Pasco Spadafora and added to his 2,500-acre sheep ranch sometime in the mid-1930s. Spadafora worked the ranch and surrounding National Forest grazing permits until his death in the late 1970s.
Roger Cesario, a principal of Bar K Ranch, Inc., and a descendent of Spadafora, summarized the motivation behind partnering with Colorado Open Lands to preserve the property: “As oil and gas development in this part of the state booms, parcels like this become ever more valuable as refuge for wildlife. We have great habitat and plenty of animals from birds to big game, and we want to see the land stay largely as it is today.”
The property consists primarily of aspen forest and open meadows, punctuated with stock ponds and riparian vegetation. The preservation of the property also contributes to the scenic and natural character of the surrounding National Forest land, which is open to and utilized by the general public.
Eden Ranch, Delta County, 65 acres
Partners: Jim Wetzel and Nancy Wood; West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: Eden Ranch, owned by Jim Wetzel and Nancy Wood since 1995, lies within the western extent of Redlands Mesa in central Delta County, between the Lawhead Gulch and Currant Creek drainages. Redlands Mesa is situated on the Colorado Plateau between the Grand Mesa and the Gunnison Gorge in the Gunnison River watershed.
The property, located about five miles southeast of the Town of Cedaredge, is visible to the general public from Highway 92 and several county roads. The ranch is currently used for agricultural purposes, and although it is not currently irrigated, the property has irrigation water rights and irrigation infrastructure in place. The soil on the property is considered to be prime farmland.
The vegetative communities on the property consist of piñon-juniper woodlands and sagebrush shrublands. The ranch is situated between two major elk winter concentration areas and lies within elk severe winter range. Resident mule deer, the primary prey of mountain lions, are numerous year-round on the property and areas adjoining, especially Lawhead Gulch during winter. Game species are of economic importance to Delta County, and contribute significantly to the biodiversity of the region.
Flying U Ranch,Montrose County, 120 acres
Partners: Kurt and Shari Ulrich, West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: “Our desire to preserve our property stems from our wish to have a few places in this area that aren’t split up into three and five-acres parcels” said Kurt Ulrich, speaking about his partnership with Colorado Open Lands. “I may never see what this area looks like when it is built out, but we want to know that we have made a contribution to seeing this place preserved as best we can.”
Located on Fruitland Mesa, southwest of Crawford, the Flying U Ranch consists of a combination of irrigated cropland and relatively natural habitat such as piñon-juniper woodlands and sagebrush shrubland.
Over the past decade, the Ulrichs have made significant improvements to the irrigation infrastructure on the property, increasing efficiency and crop yield. Several ponds have been added to capture and re-use irrigation water, providing supplementary habitat benefits. The property’s combination of open fields, woodland cover, and shrublands on subtle topography with year-round drinking water provides nearly ideal range for big game ungulates such as resident mule deer and migrating elk.
The property also supports a variety of uncommon non-game species such as raptors. Black Canyon Road, which is the primary access to the north entrance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, abuts the Flying U Ranch to the north and west. The openness of the property provides spectacular views of the West Elk Wilderness and Needle Rock near Crawford.
Milstein Farm, Delta County, 79 acres
Partners: Jeff and Karen Milstein, West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: Redlands Mesa sits north and west of the Town of Hotchkiss Colorado, between the Grand Mesa and the North Fork of the Gunnison River Valley. Over the past decade, a series of small farms and ranches have been preserved on the mesa top by the Black Canyon Regional Land Trust, creating a network of conserved properties working the fertile mesa soils.
The Milstein Farm is no exception, containing soils ranked of “national importance” by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and ample water rights for irrigation purposes. Roughly 3/4 of the property is cultivated as hay crops or used as pasture, and the remainder is kept as relatively natural habitat, including juniper woodlands, semi-desert shrublands, and riparian vegetation.
The property, with its adjacency to other protected lands, contributes to the scenic nature of the landscape in which it lies, and is visually accessible to the public from Redlands Mesa Road and 2900 Road.
Puma Reserve, Delta County, 120 acres
Partners: Marilyn Mundy, West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Puma Reserve is located on, and largely encompasses, the top of Fry Mesa, situated just a few miles north and east of Paonia. It is adjacent to several thousand acres of public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Consisting primarily of natural vegetation, it is a haven for wildlife, including elk and mule deer, mountain lion, many species of migratory songbirds and several species of raptors. Much of the property burned in the Roatcap fire of 1993, and this has rejuvenated the mountain shrub community on the property to the benefit of wildlife populations.
The landowner’s strong desire to maintain and improve habitat conditions on the property resulted in special restrictions within the conservation easement limiting agricultural activities to designated areas on the property.
The Puma Reserve is visually accessible to the general public from Delta County Road 701 (Stevens Gulch Road) and Colorado Highway 133. Colorado Highway 133 is designated as part of the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway.
Roatcap Ranch II, Delta County, 70 acres (150 total acres protected)
Partners: Mike and Joy McClure; West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: This year the McClure family donated a second conservation easement on their Roatcap Ranch, which lies a few miles northwest of the Town of Paonia in eastern Delta County. The ranch derives its name from its proximity to the confluence of the east and west branches of Roatcap Creek. The ranch sits on Stucker Mesa on the Colorado Plateau between the Grand Mesa National Forest and the Gunnison Gorge in the Gunnison River watershed.
The parcel protected this year lies directly adjacent to last year’s easement on its east boundary. The ranch is clearly visible to the general public from BLM lands that border it to the west and south. East of the ranch is a stunning view of the West Elk Mountains. The ranch is used primarily for irrigated crop production and seasonal livestock grazing.
Smith Ranch, Montrose County, 90.5 acres
Partners: Mick and Karen Smith, West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Smith Ranch is located on Fruitland Mesa southwest of Crawford, near the north entrance to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The easement protects both irrigated cropland and relatively natural habitat including sage shrublands and piñon-juniper woodlands.
The property helps sustain resident herds of mule deer and elk, and provides habitat for migratory songbirds, eagles and owls, as well uncommon species such as the sandhill crane that use the property during migration. The easement also protects views from Black Canyon Road that accesses the National Park.
Karen Smith discussed the project, saying “Mick and I were motivated by the thought of this land being subdivided in the future by subsequent owners. While we don’t have thousands of acres to offer for protection, we hope that others in our area will continue to protect smaller parcels, and that the end result will be a network of protected properties on the mesa.”
Mick and Karen’s vision is beginning to materialize, as this project contributes to more than 1,500 acres of protected private lands in the vicinity of the Smith Ranch.
Sunswept Farm II, Delta County, 120 acres (235 total acres protected)
Partners: Steve Wolcott and Linda Lindsey; West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: This year, the owners of Sunswept Farm donated a second conservation easement on their property, which lies a few miles northwest of the town of Paonia in eastern Delta County. Another 40 acres of the farm was already protected by a conservation easement conveyed to the Black Canyon Regional Land Trust in 2004.
Sunswept Farm sits on Stucker Mesa on the Colorado Plateau between the Grand Mesa National Forest and the Gunnison Gorge in the Gunnison River watershed. The property is clearly visible to the general public from Stucker Mesa Road, which borders the farm to the east, and from BLM lands that border the farm to the west.
The property is used primarily for irrigated crop production and for raising elk. The landowners also host a four-day community event each summer called “The Dreamtime Festival” which consists of a series of educational and interactive workshops on various topics such as art, music, spirituality, and environmental sustainability.
Wood Family Ranch, Gunnison County, 110 acres
Partners: Mike and Kathy Wood, West Elk Mine Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Wood Family Ranch is located in the Muddy Creek drainage just north of Paonia Reservoir, adjoining Paonia State Park and the Gunnison National Forest.
Much of the property is visible from Colorado Highway 133, part of the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway, and Paonia State Park. The prominent sandstone outcrops and forested hills of the Ranch complement views of the Raggeds Wilderness high country.
The property features diverse vegetation communities for its size, including piñon-juniper woodlands, big sagebrush shrublands, mixed mountain shrublands, mixed conifer woodlands, montane grasslands, and riparian areas that provide forage, cover, breeding ground, and migration corridors for a wide array of wildlife species.
2005
Red Bluff Ranch I, Delta County, 98 acres
Partners: Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Red Bluff Ranch lies a few miles west of the town of Cedaredge in western Delta County where it is clearly visible to the general public from several county roads. Cedaredge is located within the Surface Creek Valley, on the south side of Grand Mesa National Forest.
The area was originally a seasonal hunting location for Ute tribal people. In the late 1800s to early 1900s the property was likely homesteaded and fruit orchards established. During the 1930’s the ranch became one of several ranches owned by Palmer and Company, a large fruit producing company. Since 1989 the property has been used more for livestock production and less for fruit production.
Roatcap Ranch I, Delta County, 80 acres
Partners: Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Roatcap Ranch lies a few miles northwest of the town of Paonia in eastern Delta County near the confluence of the East and West branches of Roatcap Creek. The ranch sits on Stucker Mesa on the Colorado Plateau between the Grand Mesa National Forest and the Gunnison Gorge in the Gunnison River watershed.
The ranch is clearly visible to the general public from BLM lands that border it to the west and south. East of the ranch is a stunning view of the West Elk Mountains. The ranch is used primarily for irrigated crop production and seasonal livestock grazing.
Sunswept Farm I, Delta County, 75 acres
Partners: Conservation Assistance Program
Conservation Values: The Sunswept Farm, used primarily for irrigated crop production and for raising elk, lies a few miles northwest of the town of Paonia in eastern Delta County. Forty acres of the farm is already protected by a conservation easement conveyed to the Black Canyon Regional Land Trust in 2004.
The farm sits on Stucker Mesa on the Colorado Plateau between the Grand Mesa National Forest and the Gunnison Gorge in the Gunnison River watershed. The property is clearly visible to the general public from Stucker Mesa Road, which borders the farm to the east, and from BLM lands that border the farm to the west.
2001
Sunrise Canyon Ranch, Delta County, 1,005 acres
Partners: Homer Noble & Edward Gaylord
Conservation Values: Owned by Homer Noble and Edward Gaylord for many decades, the long-time friends decided to protect their ranch and its unique qualities by donating a conservation easement to Colorado Open Lands before putting it up for sale. The ranch’s canyon contains four miles of the Smith Fork of the Gunnison River, lies only a stone’s throw from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and provides a significant buffer to BLM land.
With stunning red, orange and yellow colored cliff walls on the north side, views of high peaks to the northeast, and the Smith Fork meandering through the ranch with productive hay fields alongside it, Sunrise Canyon Ranch offers incomparable beauty, solitude, fascinating geology, and a haven for wildlife to future owners.