Montrose - Daily Press

Matt Hildner

Daily Press Writer

MONTROSE -The state of Colorado may have preserved enough open space to equal the size of Rocky Mountain National Park, but future preservation opportunities around the state and especially in Montrose County could be a challenge, according to a report released by the Colorado Conservation Trust on Monday.

Advertisement

"Colorado Conservation at a Crossroads" recapped the efforts of private and public groups that have saved 1.6 million acres across the state but, looking toward the next decade, identified a number of challenges that could slow preservation and marked Montrose County as one of 12 counties with "high potential threat but limited capacity" to preserve open space.

According to Will Shafroth, the trust's executive director, the listing of threatened counties was not meant to denigrate existing preservation efforts.

"I'm saying, hey, these are important parts of our state and we need to figure out how to focus more of our resources there," he said.

The report did not delve into the specifics of what needed preservation inside the counties, but did list some common characteristics of threatened counties.

"In most cases, there is no local public funding source and there is limited organizational capacity to address all of the potential threats and opportunities for land conservation," the report stated.

Funding from both public and private sources figured prominently in the report's conclusions.

To meet the CCT's goal of preserving 2 million acres in the next decade, the report calls for an increase in public funding across the state by $50 to $75 million per year and an increase from private sources by $10 to $25 million per year.

Although the CCT's report dwelt largely on the big picture, the Black Canyon Land Trust works on the ground locally, having preserved over 23,000 acres in Delta, Gunnison, Ouray and Montrose counties.

Adell Heneghan, the group's executive director, said the loss of the area's agricultural and ranching traditions would be one of the biggest threats accompanying the loss of open space.

"From our organization's standpoint, we feel it's very important to preserve some of our cultural heritage," she said.

"That's part of the reason this community was formed and we think it's important to protect that cultural heritage and history."

The spread of development along the floor of the Uncompahgre River valley also threatens wildlife, according to Heneghan.

"There's the large ungulate populations - the elk and the deer, but there's also a migratory bird population," she said, adding that other animals important to the ecosystem, such as the red fox, badgers, and coyotes, would be hit by the loss of open space.

Development can also harm wildlife in higher elevations around the valley as well, said Heneghan.

"We do see a lot of private property in holdings in the National Forest or along (Bureau of Reclamation lands) that by development fragments important migration corridors."

Rising real estate values in some areas, coupled with some tough economic and demographic conditions in the state's agricultural community, can make land preservation an uphill battle.

Nearly 80 percent of Colorado's private lands are owned by agricultural operators, and more than half of those operators are nearing retirement age, according to the report.

For farmers and ranchers with no family members to pass their land to, agreeing to not subdivide their land in exchange for the tax credits that accompany many easements can be a tough choice.

"Their land is their single largest investment and their retirement," said Heneghan.

Lynne Sherrod of the Colorado Cattleman's Agricultural Land Trust said community commitment could overcome a booming real estate market when it comes to preserving open space.

"A wonderful example is in the Yampa Valley where Steamboat Springs is located," she said.

"They realized that productive open ground kept those views and the western heritage."

Contact Matt Hildner via e-mail at matth@montrosepress.com

Comments

marqthompson wrote on Feb 1, 2010 3:21 AM:

" This is a wonderful article. The things given are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
--------
marqthompson
Noosa real estate "




Report Abuse

Kaitlyn Heichel wrote on Nov 3, 2009 2:01 PM:

" My dad was Robert Heichel and i just wanted to thank again everyone that helped looked for him. It was over 3 years ago that he died, but i will never forget him. I think about him still every single day and life without him is so hard. Thank you everyone who spent time looking for him. I wish this could have been a happy ending but life isn't fair. My dad died when i was 12 and i am now almost 16. Thank you again for everything you guys have done. Your amazing. "




Report Abuse

Sarah Bond wrote on Jul 13, 2009 5:31 PM:

" It really makes me sick that people lie about certain events to make themselves look better than they really are... Just to set the record straight, one of those stories is extremely false. Email me if you want the real story from the person who was actually there. "




Report Abuse