Located on Cement Creek, this is one of the ten properties that will be conserved through these grants. Photo by Xavier Fane.
June 25, 2025 – DENVER – Keep It Colorado will award $553,850 in assistance to seven nonprofit Colorado land trusts, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation. The 10 selected projects will help permanently protect 16,026 acres encompassing vital wildlife habitat, working farms and ranches. The awards are being made through Keep It Colorado’s Transaction Cost Assistance Program (TCAP), which is generously funded by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and Ducks Unlimited. The GOCO board approved its portion of the awards at its board meeting on June 12, 2025 in Glenwood Springs.
The 10 projects will also collectively conserve a record-setting 754 acres of wetlands, and 25.6 miles of rivers and streams—including stretches of the Animas and Conejos Rivers. These projects will also secure significant water rights, which will be preserved alongside the land for ongoing agricultural and environmental use. Nine of the projects feature active agricultural operations that enhance agricultural resiliency, contributing to Colorado’s diverse agricultural economy, helping sustain long-standing rural communities, and a meaningful component of Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy.
The ten projects are located in nine counties across Colorado:
Badger Creek Ranch, $50,000 to Colorado Central Conservancy
The 598-acre Badger Creek Ranch is located along nearly two miles of Badger Creek at an elevation of over 9,000 feet. Through their Badger Creek Watershed Partnership, Central Colorado Conservancy has already restored over 10 miles of the creek and its tributaries. The conservation easement will help ensure these previous restoration gains are protected from future development. The ranch is woman-owned and operated. The landowners use regenerative grazing practices to help rebuild healthy soil and are testing virtual fencing and solar-powered water stock tanks to care for their livestock more efficiently with less environmental impact. They also provide scholarships and stipends for internship and apprentice programs to support the next generation of land stewards.
Cement Creek Ranch, $48,500 to Crested Butte Land Trust
Located 12 miles from Crested Butte along Forest System Road 740, the 121-acre Cement Creek Ranch is surrounded by U.S. Forest Service lands. It contains two miles of Cement Creek, 80 acres of pristine wetlands, rare plant species, diverse wildlife, and a natural warm spring. Research on the ranch also shows that tiny aquatic creatures, or macroinvertebrates, living underground near the creek contained carbon dating back 10,000 years. Colorado Natural Heritage Program identified the property as a ‘Potential Conservation Area B2: Very High Biodiversity Significance’ due to its rare, nutrient-rich wetlands not found anywhere else in the state outside of South Park.
Fourmile Creek Property, $23,000 Mountain Area Land Trust
The 67-acre Fourmile Creek Property is located in the Mosquito Range Potential Conservation Area at the base of Sheep Mountain. The property sits at 11,000 feet in elevation and connects Pike National Forest to Fourmile Creek Road in Park County. It is visible from nearby hiking trails and can be seen from County Road 18 by nearly 20,000 visitors who annually climb the popular 14,000-foot peak, Mount Sherman. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program has identified the site as having Outstanding Biodiversity Significance. It features five acres of wetlands, a stretch of Fourmile Creek, and habitat for wildlife, including bear, moose, elk, fox, and deer. It’s also home to 20 globally rare plant species and several species considered rare in Colorado.
Johnson Animas River, $50,000 to La Plata Open Space Conservancy
The 67-acre Johnson Animas River property is located along US-550 just north of Durango in the Animas River Valley, an area under increasing pressure from residential and commercial development. It contains 10 acres of wetlands, including a half-mile stretch of riverfront along the Animas River, and an oxbow —a naturally formed pond from a former stream path. The property serves as a wildlife corridor between nearby public and private lands. It includes important habitat for migratory birds, deer, elk, and a range of aquatic species. The conserved area also helps maintain water quality, watershed health, and ecological connectivity in the region. The easement will allow seasonal livestock grazing.
Picture Rock Ranch, $41,600 to Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust
The 1,120-acre Picture Rock Ranch in Rio Grande County is surrounded by state and federal lands and close to other privately conserved properties. With 123 acres of wetlands and over 2.5 miles of riparian habitat, its water resources and water rights will be protected forever for the benefit of wildlife, including elk, deer, antelope, and small game, and resilient agriculture. The landowners are dedicated to keeping the property intact, protected, and viable for agricultural use. Ducks Unlimited is supporting the project with $33,400 in funding dedicated to critical wetlands efforts.
Rito Alto Ranch, $75,000 to Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
The 5,154-acre Rito Alto Ranch is nestled within a highly scenic landscape at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, roughly eight miles from Moffat. Situated along Rito Alto Creek and Cedar Creek, the property’s senior water rights will be protected along with the land, supporting agriculture into the future. The ranch has a long history of sheep and cattle ranching. It currently produces native hay on 250 irrigated acres and supports beef cattle grazing. The property features 7.1 miles of perennial streams, 19.8 miles of ephemeral streams, and 158 acres of wetlands, which provide rich and varied habitat for numerous species. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program identified a potential ‘Conservation Area of High Biodiversity Significance’ around Rito Alto Creek. It supports over 30 State Wildlife Action Plan Tier 1 and 2 Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
Rusk Ranch (Beckwith Parcel), $50,000 Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
The 1,187-acre Rusk Ranch is situated on the east side of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, along with a cluster of other permanently conserved Wet Mountain Valley properties. After leasing the property for decades, the landowners purchased it in 2020 and will now add it to the conservation corridor. The land and its senior water rights, which currently irrigate 177 acres of hay, will be protected for continued agricultural use. It provides habitat for elk, mule deer, bald eagle, and wildlife designated as ‘Tier 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need’ in the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan, including the burrowing owl, golden eagle, and Townsend’s big-eared bat. The parcel is adjacent to the property’s original 1900s ranch buildings, which are on the National Register of Historic Buildings and operate as a museum and cultural center.
Taylor Ranch, $75,000 to Colorado Open Lands
The 6,200-acre Taylor Ranch is a fourth-generation cattle ranch and one of the largest private properties in the region. It includes over nine miles of year-round creeks, senior water rights, and 144 acres of wetlands, and connects adjacent public lands. Its water resources support wildlife habitat and irrigate 166 acres of pasture. The property is highly biodiverse and climate resilient, with nine distinct ecosystems at elevations ranging from 7,900 to nearly 11,000 feet. It also sits atop a uranium deposit, and its protection will prevent future surface mining. This conservation effort builds on the family’s long-standing commitment to the land. They employ sustainable practices, including rotational grazing, forest management, and cover crop planting, to maintain soil health. They also run an outfitting business and host youth and disabled veteran hunting groups twice a year.
Triple R Ranches, $67,350 to Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust
The 768-acre Triple R Ranch is a multi-generational family ranch that includes cultivated agricultural land and approximately one mile of the Conejos River. It provides critical wetland habitat for species of concern, including the Northern Leopard Frog, Greater Sandhill Crane, Rio Grande Chub, and Flathead Chub. The project protects the ranch’s senior surface water rights with flexible water-sharing language to ensure the ongoing agricultural viability of the property while maintaining the ability to support river flows and local community needs.
Ute Ranch, $40,000 to Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
Located within the Uncompahgre National Forest, the 684-acre Ute Ranch has roughly 100 acres of stunning irrigated hay meadows and is leased for grazing to a local cow-calf rancher. Its reservoir provides water for both cattle and wildlife. Conservation of the property and its water rights allows continued agricultural use and supports healthy river ecosystems. Historic structures on the property, including a former Forest Service ranger station, postmaster’s station, and cow camp, showcase its varied uses over time. Now retired from local government service, the landowner invites third-grade students from Naturita Elementary School to the ranch for an annual day camp where they learn about local land history and develop connections with the landscape.
About TCAP
Since 2021 when Keep It Colorado formed TCAP in partnership with GOCO, it has awarded more than $3 million in grant assistance to Colorado nonprofit land trusts. This aid enables land trusts to help landowners complete 66 conservation projects and protect over 68,000 acres of critical habitat, local food systems, iconic viewsheds, wetland and river corridors, and places of historic and cultural significance across the state. In providing this assistance, Keep It Colorado eases the financial burden on landowners and enables them to move forward with protecting critical landscapes that are at risk of being subdivided or converted to other uses.
About Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)
GOCO invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,700 projects in all 64 counties of Colorado without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.
About Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 18 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent comprehensive campaign. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
About Keep It Colorado
Keep It Colorado serves as a unified voice for conservation organizations focused on private lands conservation, and does so by bringing together land trusts, public agencies and conservation champions around a vision to create a Colorado where people, lands, waters and wildlife thrive. Keep It Colorado advocates for sound public policy; provides connection and collaboration opportunities for conservation partners; offers a forum to address emerging conservation issues and opportunities; pursues sustainable funding and programmatic tools and solutions; and works to advance a culture of conservation in Colorado. Learn more at www.keepitco.org.
