Brown trout. *Photo: Colorado Parks and Wildlife*

The La Jara Cañon Creek ranch in Capulin, Colorado has 840 acres of working ranchlands and provides public fishing access to local residents, many of whom are underserved or low-income community members. The creek is a gold medal fishing spot, especially for brown trout. Like most fish, the brown trout cannot regulate body temperature, so they need cold waters to survive. The cold waters of La Jara Creek furnish a perfect home for the "brownies."

The ranch also provides excellent wildlife habitat. All 840 acres are mapped as a winter concentration area and severe winter range for elk, and the sensitive riparian corridor is potential habitat for the federally endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. The floodplain and stream also provide late and early open water habitat for migratory birds, especially teal, pintail and mallards, because La Jara Creek typically does not freeze. This habitat type is rare and limited in the very cold San Luis Valley.

Perpetual conservation of this area protects the habitat, keeps the multi-generational ranch in production, and continues safe fishing access for this poorer region while protecting the streambank.

Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust is conserving the La Jara Cañon Creek ranch thanks in part to a Transaction Cost Assistance grant from Keep It Colorado.

About the project: This working ranchland straddles La Jara Creek near the village of Capulin, one of the poorest communities in Colorado. The property is a critical part of a multi-generational ranch family’s operation in Conejos County, where agriculture provides 26 percent of all jobs. Primarily used for livestock grazing, the ranchlands feature a high-quality trout stream; rich elk and migratory bird habitat; and riparian corridor. Conservation will protect this property and provide public fishing access while protecting the streambank.