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Press Release Date: January 7, 2008 Linda Luther, Cindy Cohagen, Chris West, Year-end deals add significant open-space protections across ColoradoA flurry of year-end activity to finalize conservation easements on unique properties across Colorado has protected significant new parcels from future development, according to land conservation groups from around the state. The new conservation deals encompass lands in San Miguel, Rio Grande, Chaffee, Saguache and Eagle counties. Tens of thousands of acres in every corner of the state were protected during all of 2007. "We've seen conservation easements finalized across the state just in the last few weeks that will conserve farms and ranchland, scenic areas, wildlife habitat, migration routes and unique spaces that otherwise would be lost to development," said Jill Ozarski, executive director of the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts. Conservation easements are sold or donated by private landowners to non-profit or government agencies to guarantee that a parcel of land will never be developed. Property owners may continue using their land as it has been but give up the rights to sell the land to developers in the future or to develop it themselves. A handful of examples of recent properties that have been placed under conservation easement include: Hughes Ranch and Bray Ranch Wilson Ranch
This conservation easement in Rio Grande County was completed on Dec. 17, and will protect more than 1,600 acres of property where the Rio Grande River flows for more than two miles. The property also includes several hundred acres of irrigated meadows with water rights that provide critical wildlife habitat for a variety of native species. The land was donated in full by Virginia and Roland Wilson and adds to an initiative to protect the Rio Grande Corridor from Creede to Alamosa. "We feel fortunate to own such a beautiful ranch and to know that with the conservation easement, it will always stay that way for future generations to enjoy," said the Wilsons. Post Office Ranch
On Dec. 28, the first working ranch in Chaffee County to be protected from development was placed under a conservation easement. The family owning the property chose to pursue a conservation easement to ensure that the next generation would be able to continue ranching the property. The land includes irrigated hay meadows along both sides of more than one mile of the South Arkansas River. "Doing this, first and foremost requires a love for the land," said Dean Roberts, owner of the Post Office Ranch. "My family has owned the ranch since 1952. The conservation easement makes it possible for my family to continue to own and ranch the property for as long as they want, which would not have been possible without the easement," Roberts added.
Jordan Ranch
The 160 acre Jordan Ranch conservation easement is the latest purchase of the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) in the Saguache Creek Corridor in Saguache County, an intact working ranch landscape which runs 25 miles west from the Town of Saguache. The Jordan Ranch is almost entirely irrigated hay meadow, lies on both sides of Highway 285, and is highly visible to travelers. The ranch is CCALT's 15th conservation easement in the Saguache Creek Corridor, where nearly 11,000 acres have been protected with conservation easements since 2001. Gates Ranch "Conservation easements allow for the preservation of more land for far less money than would be needed to purchase these areas outright. Easements also allow ranchers and farmers to preserve their family traditions and Colorado's agricultural heritage," Ozarski added. The conservation community in Colorado came together in 2007 to help pass a new state law (House Bill 1361, sponsored by House Majority Leader Alice Madden and Sen. Jim Isgar) which increases the standards, transparency and accountability under the state tax credit for conservation easements. Many of these changes from the new law went into effect on January 1, and include additional reporting requirements for taxpayers who claim conservation easement tax credits that will make enforcement easier. Requirements for public reporting on lands preserved with tax credits and organizations that hold conservation easements were increased, as were standards for conservation easement appraisers. Conservation groups have partnered with legislators on a state task force that is recommending additional reforms for the coming legislative session to tighten up the program even further. "The mainstream land conservation community has been at the forefront of reform efforts to ensure that conservation easements are protecting property as intended, and we are gearing up to take a leading role in advocating for these additional reforms in 2008," said Ozarski. "The conservation community in Colorado is committed to responsibly protecting important lands from development," said Chris West, executive director of the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust. "We expect these changes will allow land owners and legitimate conservationists to continue in their efforts to preserve both their way of life and the state's landscape for generations to come," West added.
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