angus cattle graze in a pasture near huckleberry hills...

The ties that bind us to the land are not easily broken, but they can be tested by outside forces.

In 2006, the families who own Huckleberry Hills Ranch, a 525-acre agriculture property in southwestern Pueblo County, felt increasing pressure to sell to developers the special place they cherished. They began to look for ways to relieve that pressure.

Laurie Sankey, president of Huckleberry Hills Ranch, said, “The ranch is owned by diverse families who don’t always agree on everything associated with running a ranch. … But we have always agreed on one thing: We wanted to preserve the property as it is, including the resources, qualities and values that make the Mountain West unique.”

In 1959, five families purchased the Mt. Baldy Ranch next to the San Isabel National Forest west of Rye. Except for giving it a new name and building small second homes in a

secluded part of the property, they continued to operate it as a cattle ranch in much the same way it had been run for the previous 90 years.

Talks about protecting the ranch began in earnest in 2006 when the owners received an above-market offer from an attorney representing a corporation that had been set up by anonymous shareholders for the sole purpose of buying Huckleberry Hills Ranch. The offer was rejected, but to many of the owners, it was a clear sign of things to come.

Barbara Brady Risner, a daughter of one of the original owners, said, “We were feeling the pressures and wanted to find a way to protect our children from those same forces. (Preserving the ranch) was important to the families whose parents had the vision of a secluded place to come and enjoy the beautiful Colorado outdoors and mountains.”

While development pressures have eased, Don Miller, the ranch’s managing owner, said they haven’t gone away. “Ranch land is steadily disappearing in the West, and there’s enough development along the urban-rural interface in Colorado for us to notice. To the extent we could prevent what we regard as inappropriate development of a beautiful area, we had to try.”

In December, the families protected the ranch forever through a conservation easement held by San Isabel Land Protection Trust. For the

Easement protects ‘magical place’ near Rye

Spring/Summer 2018

Angus cattle graze in a pasture near Huckleberry Hills’ iconic red barn. (Photo by Joseph Lamos)

Ancient wisdom holds we must treat the earth well; it is not given to us by our parents but loaned to us by our children.

—Laurie Sankey”

“

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2 San Isabel Land Protection Trust Spring/Summer 2018, SanIsabel.org 3

Board of DirectorsLarry Vickerman

PresidentKeith Hood

Vice PresidentLynn Karantz

TreasurerAnn RobeySecretary

Bob SteimleMember-at-Large

Woody Beardsley Doug Cain Bill Donley David Huber

Blake Osborn Chris Skagen

Dianne Whalen

StaffKate Spinelli

Stewardship Director

Janet Smith Development Director

Anita Bomgardner Accountant

San Isabel Land Protection Trust is a nationally accredited 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan

conservation organization working with landowners to protect land and water in southern Colorado. To date, we’ve protected nearly 41,000 acres, 174 water rights and some 61 miles of stream frontage through

133 conservation easements.

P.O. Box 124, Westcliffe, CO 81252719.783.3018 • sanisabel.org

Those of us fortunate enough to enjoy this rugged, wild part of Colorado never forget how

much we love this place.We are drawn to the expanse of

towering mountains, open valleys and roaring rivers. When we explore the mountains, walk the valleys and follow the rivers, we see firsthand the diversity of life these ecosystems sustain. From clouds of hatching caddisflies to herds of elk, deer, pronghorn and livestock, life in our region depends on healthy, intact land – from river bottom to mountaintop.

At San Isabel Land Protection Trust,we envision a region that remains a beautiful and wild landscape with a strong agricultural foundation and a vibrant, healthy community. Protecting and caring for private lands are critical to preserving the beauty and health of the western landscape. Private owners hold some of the most ecologically significant, biologically diverse lands in the West. These lands connect larger swaths of public lands, reducing fragmentation, creating scenic open space, building ecosystem resiliency and enabling wildlife to migrate freely.

Caring for the land is the heart of San Isabel’s mission. We invite you to join us. We are looking for volunteer Land Stewards for conservation properties and Bluff Stewards to work at The Bluff Park in Westcliffe.

Land Stewards will help with a variety of projects on protected properties that include irrigated

agricultural land, conifer forests, open meadows, riparian zones, wetlands, piñon-juniper woodlands, and desert draws and mesas. The projects are aimed at enhancing forest and watershed health, fire mitigation and recovery, sustainable agricultural practices, nonnative vegetation management, reseeding and revegetation, and wildlife habitat enhancement. The work will include planting trees, spreading seed, pulling weeds, clearing ditches and creeks, building erosion control structures, and removing dead trees and brush.

Careful stewardship practices on agricultural lands build rich soils necessary for local food production and environmental regeneration. Forest and riparian management and restoration help maintain clean air and water. Keeping water on the land with

conservation easements prevents dry-up and maintains irrigated landscapes that offer scenic beauty, agricultural vitality and functioning ecosystems.

At The Bluff Park – 10 acres at Westcliffe’s focal point, offering stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and valley – Bluff Stewards pull weeds, water and mulch plants, and spread native seed, ensuring the park is a beautiful, welcoming space for residents and visitors.

Pick your projectVolunteers can choose their projects

and levels of intensity, so anyone can participate. Individuals, families, young people and groups are all welcome to find a project that fits their levels of activity and skills.

We can all have a hand in caring for what is important to us. A community of passionate stewards empowered to care for the land will create the best outcome for our mission. Healthy, open lands benefit our whole community by maintaining scenic views, as well as grassy meadows, rich forests, clean air and water and the wildlife that depend on them. By protecting the land, we are protecting what makes living here so special.

We look forward to working on the ground with you!

To learn more about upcoming projects for volunteers or to sign up, please contact Kate Spinelli, stewardship director, at 719.783.3018 or [email protected].

From our Stewardship DirectorPlease join our volunteer stewards for land, water and wildlife


San Isabel Land Protection Trust, in partnership with the Coaldale Alliance, is working to complete

a precedent-setting agreement in the Upper Arkansas River Basin to ensure good stewardship of the CB Ranch following dry-up.

The goal is to control dust, erosion and noxious weeds now that irrigation has stopped on the 195-acre property in Fremont County. Security Water District, just south of Colorado Springs, purchased the property in 2013 to get its water rights.

San Isabel and the alliance have been working to ensure that a final state Water Court decree includes a revegetation plan that goes beyond what the state normally requires and is enforced through a legally binding agreement.

The land trust would hold a covenant and monitor the property after the Water Court issues its decree allowing the water rights transfer. San Isabel and the Coaldale community want to make sure that Security lives up to its obligations for revegetating the historically agricultural property, which lies in the heart of Coaldale.

Preventing erosion and the spread of noxious weeds on the CB Ranch will benefit nearby agricultural and other property. And it upholds San Isabel’s mission to protect working ranches, agricultural and forest lands, water resources, wildlife habitat and scenic open spaces. San Isabel joined with the Coaldale Alliance as objectors in the court case.

San Isabel has been working for more than three years with the Coaldale Alliance, a group created to give Coaldale area residents a voice in the debate over Security’s water rights transfer and to reduce the impacts of

Security’s decision to dry up the CB Ranch.

Terry Andrews, a Coaldale resident and Coaldale Alliance board member, said, “It is so important to the Coaldale community to have wildlife grazing on this land – elk and deer, as well as all manner of birds and small mammals. The open space itself provides all of us – whether it’s folks living in Coaldaleor people passing by on U.S. 50 – avisual and auditory respite from thehustle and bustle of more built areas.We feel a connection with the spaceand its critters. Weeds will not do.

“San Isabel has been a wonderful partner and leader in our effort to save this very special land,” she continued. “The Coaldale Alliance has depended on the land trust for important resources and information, support

that has been critical in addressing the issues with Security and the Water Court. Besides all that, San Isabel has been just plain fun to work with, mentoring our efforts and providing the kind of support that has made it all possible.”

Larry Vickerman, president of San Isabel’s board, said, “The Coaldale community has stepped up in a very difficult and complicated situation to make their voices heard. Our

partnership amplified their voices. San Isabel sees the dry-up of productive agricultural lands as a critical issue in our region. We are committed to making sure the negative impacts of the loss of irrigated land are minimized. The CB Ranch revegetation covenant keeps us at the table and gives us tools to achieve that goal.”

The revegetation covenant is just one of the ways San Isabel has worked to maintain a healthy landscape

for the Coaldale area. In 2017, the Gates Family Foundation awarded San Isabel $210,000 toward an attempted purchase of water rights and a conservation easement on the Maverick Ranch, located along the Arkansas River five miles downstream from Salida. The aim was to secure the water rights from the Maverick and transfer them 15 miles downstream to re-water the CB Ranch to keep it in agricultural use.

While San Isabel would still like to see that happen, the revegetation covenant ensures the land trust will play a role in protecting the health of the landscape. And it ensures that enforcing the revegetation requirements will be in the hands of people who care about the land and will watch out for it.

Agreement could set pace for revegetation

©2017 Greg Smith; imediasmith.com

The open space itself provides all of us – whether it’s folks living in Coaldale or people passing by on U.S. 50 – a visual and auditory respite ...”

“

—Terry Andrews


Thanks to our 2017 members and supporters$10,000 and above Donna & Ralph Hood Cynthia & David Huber

$1,000 to $9,999Bob & Carol Allison Michael Banz & Kathy Blaha Kirk BeardsleyWoody BeardsleyJim & Gayle Bradburn Lee Brown & Will Sibbald Donna Burge & Norman

WilliamsonDoug & Teresa Cain Richard CameronJoe & Jan ClaytonWilton & Cathy Cogswell Bud & Inge CosbyShawn DevineAnn Marie Donohoe &

Steve LasswellJohn & Dottie EneaJohn & Patricia Fechner Larry & Ann GerdesRuth Graham & Tom

ConaghanPenney & Jackson Hill Ken & Becky HumphreysWilson & Terri JarvisJim and Laura Johnson John Alan JollRalph and Kathy Jowett Peggy Kavookjian & David

NoraSuzanne LesageMike & Joanie Liebman Carolyn LueckRyan & Wynn Martens Barry & Beth McBride Carolyn McLaughlin-Smith Peter NicholsBarbara PhillipsDwaine & Ann Robey Brian & Rhonda Rusler Gus SlanovichCathy SnowDick & Audrey Stermer Sandra TroyerLarry & Marcia Vickerman Milla Leu VickermanTom & Robyn Wallerich Alicia WaughJerry & Anita WelchHope & Paul Wenke Dianne WhalenMichael Whalen Jr.

Carol Wilson & David Chrislip

Els & Walter van Woudenberg

Christy WyckoffJames & Ann Young

Up to $1,000Stephen & Joan AbbotRichard & Mary AbelSusan AkinKent Aman & Kris ShurrCherryose Anderson &

Aaron BrockettWayne & Jan AndersonPaul & Terry AndrewsSteve & Becky AndrewsAmber ArseneauxMichael & Angie ArterburnJoe & Deborah BaloghMichael & Betsy BanksVic & Jacke BarnesBarnes Family Heritage LLPSally BarnesRoss BarnhartDavid BecherWat & Jamie van

BenthuysenGary BergLaurel & William

BiedermannJeffrey BivinsRay & Sue BodisVicki BoeselMike BohartDavid BowerLarry BowersJohn & Sally BrandenburgJacky Brooks-LawrenceJean & Tom BrookHank & JoAnne BruserGene & Jan BurlesonMattie & Will BurttTony CaligiuriAlex CampbellMary Jo & Jim CarterRicardo & Bernadette

CastilloRoger & Marlene CastleMark CeplikasMary & Steven ChandlerSteve Chapman & Clive

WartSteven & Mary Jane CharginElaine & Dominique

Chavanon

Joan ChinTom & Pam ClementsJim & Claudia ColeHarold & Cynthia CookMelissa CooperPaul & Janet DavidsonDoris & Mark DemboskyChris Derick & Dana DiehlJoseph DevaiDick DowneyDwight & Marcia DragerKathy DreilingScott & Janet EngelMike & Bonnie EnsrudeGreg EwingJudy & Dave FinleyJames & Pamela FlynnEd & Lynne FranklinLinda FranklinMarty FrickThomas & Susan FrostmanBrian Gabriel

Deborah GajJulie & Heinz GaylordJim & JoAnne GearhartJacob GellerMitchell Gerber & Leslie

PetrovskiBarbara GillJim & Sandra GranberryA.J. Grant & Kate FayKen Griesel & Donna

Nicholas-GrieselJames & Linda GriffinRichard HackerShelley HallWilliam Hallauer Jr.R.A. HardinJim & Charlotte HaveyMatt HeimerichDave & Jody HeppeSam & Connie HinerJohn HinmanAlan Hirsch


Thanks to our 2017 members and supporters

C.J. & Shelley HitzKeith HoodDrew & Mary HortonKatherine HortonNancy HowardBob & Carmel HuestisMark HumphrysJudy Hunter & Vorrey

MylchreestBill JackMark & Wanda JohnsonScott JohnsonMalin & Jan JonesSandra JonesBob JoslenBonnie JulsenBob & Lynn KarantzJim & Deanna KautenMaureen KellyDebra & Harry KennedyTerri KerrChuck & Judy Keyes

Rick & Heather KnightDennis KoehlerKaren KoopLeslie KramerAnnie LaymanJerry LeachmanHugh LeneyBen & Buffy LenthCharles & Mary Ellen

LesageSteve & Margaret LindererLinda LloydThomas LobeneAnita Lynch & Terry GulliverPatrick & Judy LynchChristina MacLeodTom MadduxGlenn & Mattie MartinSara MattesMichael & Elizabeth MayBill & Becky MazurekJanet McCubbin

Freddy McCubbinRon & Jill McFarlandBruce & Debra McHughCharles & Linda MellonEd & Judy MighellGary MillerKim MillettStuart MillstoneJohn & Deb MitchellJoe MollPari Morse & Don MercillDon & Inge MundenKristie NackordDorothy NepaSkip & Nancy NorthcrossGus & Jane NottbergTom & Patty O’BrienBlake Osborn & Eliza KovnatMike Padon & Susan

LawhonSharon PetrossLockett & Susan PitmanGreg PowellCharles ProctorLouis & Betsy PulsDebbie & Philip RabinowitzP.L. RayRedfinBob & Carolyn ReedClara ReidaChristiane RelphArlie RiggsBrian & Margarita RileyTerri Rowenhorst & Glen

TiedeClaricy & Randy RuskWendy & Tate RuskPeter SchmidtDoug SchneiterDavid & Eleanor SchooleyDouglas Schulz & Tracy

StonemanJudy SellersMerr ShearnJon SirkisChris SkagenGreg & Janet SmithPerry & Erin SmithMichael & Christine SmithRene SmithKarolyn Snow & Joe RookGayle SpitzfadenJames StarkBob Steimle & Dianne

ShanksMarilyn & Tim Stodola

Sallie StoutMargie StrattonRon Thomason & Heidi

ClareAngus & Dorothy ThomsonSusan TichyBob & Renee TobinJudith VaroneBill & Barbara VidmarCaroline & Jim VornbergJohn Walker & Roxann

MooreJim & Lin WardElizabeth & John WatsonJeff & Martha WelbornGinger & John WhellockDavid WicksSteve & Terri WiebkeJonathan & Corrie WileyRandy & Sarah WoodsKen WoolSarah WoolMichael WootenDana WyrickYoder’s Mountain View

FurnitureDale & Jonna YorkWendy ZechmanCharles & Judy Ziehr

In Memory ofGeorge BeardsleyMr. & Mrs. William G. Morton

In Memory ofPaul SnyderNancy ButlerBill & Vicki Donley

Grant & Foundation Partners

Amazon Smile FoundationColorado GivesColorado Open LandsCommunity Resource CenterEl Pomar Regional CouncilGates Family FoundationGreat Outdoors ColoradoLand Trust AllianceWet Mountain Valley

Community Foundation

Please accept our apologies for any errors or omissions. If you have a correction, please email [email protected] or call 719.783.3018.

©2017 Greg Smith; imediasmith.com


families, “forever” was worth the decade-long effort.“We are very lucky to have such a magical place and

are proud to have done our part in preserving it,” said Jim Moore, who was 12 in 1959 when his family came to Huckleberry Hills Ranch. “San Isabel gave us the tools to do this, and we are grateful.”

Laurie adds, “Four of our five families inherited this land from our parents, all but one of whom have passed away. I think today they are smiling down on us in recognition of what this means to the future of the property they loved so dearly.

“Ancient wisdom holds we must treat the earth well; it is not given to us by our parents but loaned to us by our children,” she said. “That sounds right to us.”

Evergreen Giving Club members are committed

individuals, families and businesses who want to protect working ranches and farms, clean water and wildlife. This special group of sustaining members has pledged to make an annual gift of $1,000 or more to protect the places they love, now and into the future.

To learn more about our Evergreen Giving Club, please contact Janet Smith, development director, at 719.783.3018 or [email protected].

Thank you to our Evergreen Giving Club members:

Bob & Carol AllisonSteve & Becky AndrewsKirk BeardsleyWoody Beardsley

Michael Banz & Kathy BlahaBuck & Janelle BlessingJim & Gayle BradburnLee Brown & Will SibbaldDoug & Teresa CainJoe & Jan ClaytonWilton & Cathy CogswellAnn Marie Donohoe & Steve LasswellJohn & Pat FechnerAJ Grant & Kate FayLarry & Ann GerdesRalph & Donna HoodDavid & Cynthia HuberWilson & Terri JarvisJohn Alan JollPeggy Kavookjian & David NoraMike & Joanie Liebman

Jim & Laura JohnsonCarolyn LueckRyan & Wynn MartensBeth & Barry McBridePeter NicholsTed & Wendy RamseyJanice Roberts

Dwaine & Ann RobeyRandy & Claricy RuskCathy SnowDick & Audrey StermerLarry & Marcia VickermanMilla Leu VickermanTom & Robyn WallerichAlicia WaughPaul & Hope WenkeDianne WhalenMichael Whalen Jr.Matt & Julia WillsCarol Wilson & David ChrislipWalter & Els van WoudenbergChristy WyckoffJames & Ann Young

... Cover Story continued:

Photos by Sarah Bunting


Photo ©2017 Greg Smith; imediasmith.com

Sprint, shuffle or sponsor Hardscrabble Run

Our annual Hardscrabble Mountain Trail Run is just a few weeks away. There’s

still time to register for the race – and to sponsor either the race or young runners.

Key things to know include:• Choose the 10K run or 5K run

or walk.• Start set for 10 a.m., June 2.• Entry fee is $40 through May 28. • Fee is $45 the day of the race.• Kids 17 and under run/walk for

free. (Sponsor a youth for $40!).• Staff at regional schools run/

walk for $30.• Ranch is 11 miles east of

Westcliffe.• Post-race lunch (included) from

Salida’s Kalamatapit Catering.• Live music from Bruce Hayes.• Prize drawings, souvenir cup.

To learn more or become a sponsor, contact Janet Smith at 719.783.3018 or [email protected].

And of course, you can find all the details and much more about all we do at our website: sanisabel.org.

GoldRancher’s Roost Café/Cliff LanesRusler Implement Co.

BronzeCamp Run-A-MuckColorado Open Lands

Individual & Youth SponsorsDoug & Teresa CainBill & Vicki DonleyTerri & Wilson JarvisDeb & John MitchellDon Mercill & Pari MorseMellon Archive GeneticsLockett & Sue PitmanDwaine & Ann RobeyDianne Whalen

Randy & Sarah WoodsChuck & Judy Ziehr

Company sponsors7000 Feet Running CompanyAbsolute BikesAll the RangeColorado Central MagazineCourtyard Country InnEndurance Alchemy LabFremont Adventure RecreationimediaSmithKRCCMusic Meadows RanchSangres BestSoulcraft BrewingTailwind

Thanks to our run’s sponsors!

SAN I S ABEL

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P R O T E C T I O N TR

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PO Box 124, Westcliffe, CO 81252

Friday & Saturday, Sept. 28 & 29, 2018

Art for the Sangresat A Painted ViewRanch • artforthesangres.com

Join Us To protect land,water and wildlifewhile there is still time

Become a member today! ... at SanIsabel.org

Photo ©2016 Greg Smith

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angus cattle graze in a pasture near huckleberry hills...

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