A private inholding within the San Juan National Forest is the latest preservation effort by the Montezuma Land Conservancy.
In cooperation with landowner Jim Welch, the 240-acre Horse Creek Ranch at the foot of the La Plata Mountains is now in a conservation easement. The deal prevents development of the land and protects its agricultural use in perpetuity.
The parcel's convenient access to the Echo Basin Road made it ideal for development under a Colorado law allowing 35-acre subdivisions without planning and zoning review.
"The landowner saw development pressure coming, and chose to save the natural character now and into the future," said MLC director Jon Leibowitz. "Livestock grazing can continue on the property, keeping our agricultural lands in production."
The property is an important wetlands and is the headwaters of the Mancos River depended on for municipal water. It is bordered by Horse Creek and Silver Creek and has numerous ponds, wetlands, wildflower glens, and springs.
The area is rich in wildlife, said Welch, who has owned the property since 2005.
"Bear, deer, elk, turkeys, mountain lions - they are all here, and now their home is protected, so that feels right," he said.
The MLC the property's proximity to the San Juan Skyway made it a good candidate for a conservation easement.
"Conserving this property protects the views that attract people to come to southwest Colorado," Leibowitz said. "The property is highly visible from U.S. 160 and Colorado 184."
MLC and landowners have so far protected 4,000 acres along viewshed of the San Juan Skyway, a 236-mile highway loop through regional forests, small towns, and over mountain passes.
Also in September, MLC closed on a conservation easement for a 640-acre piece of private property in the Groundhog-Glade area, a vast mix of private and public lands north of Dolores.
Recent subdivisions in the area are fragmenting critical wildlife habitat, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
CPW has identified the area as lynx habitat and as critical migration corridor for the Disappointment Valley elk herd.
"This easement strikes a balance between working ranches, open space and wildlife habitat," Leibowitz said. "We have a long-term goal of protecting as much of that elk migration route as possible in cooperation with landowners."
Of the 85,000 acres in the Groundhog-Glade Program Area, MLC has protected 15,000 acres through conservation easements.
The Groundhog-Glade easement marks the first time MLC and a landowner went through the new Preliminary Advisory Opinion (PAO) process, a new Colorado law enacted this year.
Obtaining a PAO involves the Division of Real Estate reviewing critical pieces of the transaction and issuing an opinion on the proposed easement and appraisal before closing.
"A favorable opinion assures the landowner that they will receive their tax credits before signing the conservation easement," Leibowitz said.
Since 1998, MLC has partnered with local landowners to complete 77 conservation easements protecting more than 37,792 acres in Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel counties.
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com