The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board awarded a $75,000 grant to Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) through Keep It Colorado to permanently protect Rito Alto Ranch with a conservation easement.
The grant is part of Keep It Colorado’s Transaction Cost Assistance Program (TCAP) that re-grants GOCO funds to nonprofit land trusts to help cover the costs associated with conservation easement transactions. It helps landowners who have urgent opportunities to conserve their properties, but face financial barriers to completing the transaction, to conserve land more quickly.
The 5,154-acre Rito Alto Ranch is nestled within a highly scenic landscape at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, roughly eight miles from Moffat. Situated along Rito Alto Creek and Cedar Creek, the property’s senior water rights will be protected along with the land, supporting agriculture into the future. The ranch has a long history of sheep and cattle ranching. It currently produces native hay on 250 irrigated acres and supports beef cattle grazing.
The property’s 7.1 miles of perennial streams, 19.8 miles of ephemeral streams, and 158 acres of wetlands offer rich and varied habitat for numerous species. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program identified a potential Conservation Area of High Biodiversity Significance around Rito Alto Creek. It supports over 30 State Wildlife Action Plan Tier 1 and 2 Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
This project is part of GOCO’s $9.9 million investment in communities across Colorado.
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,800 projects in all 64 counties of Colorado without any tax dollar support. Visit www.GOCO.org for more information.