Montezuma County is a beautiful patchwork of landscapes in Colorado’s southwest corner, and the people who live in the region are as diverse and varied as the landscapes themselves. Many of them are finding common ground in their shared interest to restore and preserve the land. In particular, three groups — the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Montezuma Land Conservancy and Trees, Water, People — are joining forces to protect the land and, in turn, help some members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe preserve the habitats and culturally important plants that play a role in their everyday lives.

Southern Plains Land Trust, located near Lamar on the southeastern plains, is focused on “rewilding” the prairie – and bison are at the center of this work. The bison are an essential contributor to a healthy ecosystem because they move across the landscape, grazing some areas more heavily and some more lightly, thereby creating a mosaic of plant communities. Bison are specially adapted to the Great Plains, feeding on the dense and deep-rooted native plant species like blue grama and buffalograss, which are abundant in the shortgrass prairie.

As Coloradans are unfortunately aware, wildfires are now a constant threat throughout the state – and not just in heavily wooded or tree-dense areas. The May family knows this all too well. They’ve been ranching and farming near Lamar, Colorado in the southeastern part of the state for over three generations. Their 16,000-acre ranch is recognized nationally for its sustainability and conservation efforts, but in spring 2022, a wildfire ripped through the Mays’ land, burning 10,000 acres – decimating the landscape and killing many of the animals that called the land home. They are investigating how to restore the land to the way it was before the disaster. It will be no small feat – though by September 2022, signs of resilience and successful restoration were already visible.

Colorado has countless properties and homes with stunning views and abundant access to the backcountry. An increasing number of them offer those things with renewable and solar energy options as well. But there are very few that check both of those boxes and provide pieces of history alongside prolific wildlife. Marjorie Westermann is proud to call one of these places home. Given its beautiful location and abundance of treasures, it’s no wonder she felt called upon to protect it from subdivision or development by placing it in a conservation easement.

For Kip Gates, there has never been a question about what he was meant to do. This fifth-generation rancher, who lives in Eagle County near Burns, was born to be a cowboy. In his day-to-day work running a 1,500-acre ranching operation, Kip is grateful for his ancestors’ work to make the family ranch what it is today. He’s also grateful the land is under a conservation easement that will protect it from subdivision or development for the long term. In addition to preserving his family’s legacy, the easement protects the land’s agricultural aspects as well as wildlife habitat for elk, deer, bears, mountain lions, eagles and, recently, moose.

As more and more people are moving away from rural Colorado and the agricultural lifestyle, Montezuma Land Conservancy is cultivating the state’s next generation of leaders through a four-week agricultural program it runs for high school students. The program teaches youth about the land, agriculture and conservation. Students learn valuable leadership and teambuilding skills, develop knowledge about agricultural challenges, and gain insight into career opportunities.

Like much of the land in Montezuma County, MB and Chuck McAfees’ 2,300-acre ranch is a mix of dry farmland and rough, rocky terrain dotted with cactus, junipers and other drought-tolerant plants. The McAfees’ property is also like many others in the region in that it is loaded with important cultural sites, some as small as one square foot where a piece of pottery or footing for a dwelling was found. It’s no surprise, given the history and beauty of the land that’s been in Chuck’s family for three generations, that the McAfees consider this property their legacy and wanted to protect it from development.

“The conventional wisdom used to be that placing a conservation easement on a property devalued it by some amount. I believe in many instances, that is no longer the case. Depending on a person's perspective, I think there are folks out there who see conservation easements as a value-added feature, especially if their neighbors have one too. Easements can also help farmers and ranchers stay in business or even help newbies get into the business in a very competitive market.” – Peter Clark, rancher in the San Luis Valley.

Chris Sammons’ great-grandfather settled in the Kremmling Valley and started a ranching operation more than 120 years ago. Working with Colorado Headwaters Land Trust, Chris has created a clear long-term plan for protecting the land. But putting the land into a conservation easement wasn’t something the family had explored until Chris’ dad unexpectedly passed away. “There were four kids but no plan on what to do. We turned to the land trust and a conservation easement to help us settle the family’s estate.”