Eagle Valley Land Trust Applauds Historic Conservation of Nottingham Ranch

Landmark easement protects 18,484 acres of working ranchland, senior water rights, and wildlife habitat in Eagle and Routt Counties

Images © Todd Winslow Pierce / CPI.photo

Eagle Valley Land Trust congratulates landowner Susan Nottingham, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, and their partners on the closing of a conservation easement on the historic Nottingham Ranch near Burns. The easement permanently protects 18,484 acres of working ranchland straddling Eagle and Routt Counties, along with more than 175 cubic feet per second of senior water rights tributary to the Colorado River.

The project is the largest conservation easement in the 23-year history of the Eagle County Open Space program. The ranch will remain a working cattle operation, and its water rights, some dating to the late 1800s, will stay tied to the land permanently.

“We are thrilled to see this landscape protected in our own backyard,” said Jessica Foulis, Executive Director of Eagle Valley Land Trust. “Susan Nottingham’s vision, and the hard work of every partner at the table, means this ranch, its water, and its wildlife will be here for generations. This is exactly the kind of outcome our community wanted, and we’re grateful to everyone who made it happen.”

The ranch provides habitat for elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, moose, bald eagles, and greater sage grouse, and preserves views of the Flat Tops, Castle Peak, and the Gore Range. Its protection keeps a vital piece of our region’s rural heritage intact as development pressure continues across the Colorado River Valley.

The conservation easement was made possible by a coalition of funding partners: Eagle County Open Space and Natural Resources, Great Outdoors Colorado, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Routt County Purchase of Development Rights Program, and The Nature Conservancy.

Eagle Valley Land Trust’s mission is to protect forever, as a permanent legacy, the land we love. The Nottingham Ranch easement is exactly that kind of legacy: its scenic beauty and wildlife habitat are now protected in perpetuity. We celebrate every conservation success in our service area and encourage residents to learn more about how they can help protect the places they love.