None The Nature Conservancy in Colorado Press Releases Search All Press Releases Christine Broda-Bahm Phone: (720) 974-7002 Cell: (303) 910-5427 E-mail: cbrodabahm@tnc.org

The Nature Conservancy and Colorado Department of Transportation Partner to Conserve Colorado’s Disappearing Grasslands

Cornerstone Easement Second Largest in Colorado Conservancy’s History

Pueblo, Colorado—18 August 2006—The Nature Conservancy and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) completed a 22,000 acre voluntary land preservation agreement, also known as a ‘conservation easement,’ on the Red Top Ranch designed to offset future habitat loss caused by impending transportation improvements while protecting large swaths of shortgrass prairie and 11 rare or declining species.

The easement, the second in a series of transactions, is the keystone of a national award-winning project designed to streamline regulatory compliance and fulfill CDOT’s environmental obligations in Colorado’s prairie through proactive conservation transactions and long-term management. Under the terms of the agreement, the Conservancy will work with landowners to ensure the preservation of the prairie while the traditional land use practices such as ranching will continue.

“It has been a good experience working with the Nature Conservancy and its very capable staff,” said Craig Walker, owner of the Red Top Ranch. “One of my very important goals has been to put my ranch lands into conservation easements for future generations to enjoy.”
 
“This is a visionary project and a model for future conservation efforts. Our partnership demonstrates how environmental mitigation dollars can be best used to preserve our grassland heritage and our declining grassland plants and animals” said Charles Bedford, Director of The Nature Conservancy of Colorado.

Grasslands are the most endangered ecosystem types in Colorado and worldwide. The majority of the Central Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion has been cultivated and grassland birds (such as the mountain plover and lesser prairie chicken) have shown steeper and more widespread declines than any other group of North American bird species. 

In 2001, CDOT approached The Nature Conservancy and a number of state and federal agencies to discuss how they might address CDOT’s habitat requirements on the Shortgrass Prairie under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) while using innovative and effective methods.

By looking ahead and estimating the damage to natural ecosystems that will likely be caused by road-widening activities over the coming decades, CDOT can direct funding now to recover and preserve similar habitat outside of the state’s major transportation corridors.

“This project is a model for Colorado and for the nation as it truly demonstrates CDOT’s commitment to balancing transportation improvements with environmental protection and what can happen when various groups and agencies work cooperatively to find solutions,” said CDOT Executive Director Tom Norton. “It took some creativity to get to where we are today but we all can be proud as it was the right thing to do.”

Colorado has lost approximately 35 percent of its Central Shortgrass Prairie, which was once home to wildlife ranging from bison to burrowing owls. Shortgrass prairie still covers one-third of the state, with 91 percent of that land in private ownership.

“This is the kind of project that gives everybody hope. The ingenuity and dedication taking place on behalf of these grasslands will have positive ripple effects throughout the country as other states replicate these efforts,” said Bedford adding, “CDOT should be commended for their success in making their environmental efforts meaningful.”