Articles

In 2007, Aspen Valley Land Trust added more than 7,300 acres to its list of protected properties through the generosity of 36 landowners and families, bringing the total amount of conserved land to over 27,800 acres! As stories of urban-density housing developments and expansion of the energy industry dominate the regional headlines, there is another story of committed individuals and generations of landowners with a quiet determination to choose a different future for their land.

A significant achievement came with the additional conservation of almost 2,500 acres in the East Divide Creek and Garfield Creek watersheds south of Silt. These properties are valuable private inholdings which, together with previously conserved land and neighboring Garfield Creek State Wildlife Area, create an immence corridor of almost 17,000 acres of high-quality wildlife habitat adjacent to Bureau of Land Management and National Forest Service land.

Montover Ranch – The Montover family has been part of the Roaring Fork ranching community since moving from Italy in 1908. Now owned by Joe Montover, the Montover Ranch is a 320-acre gem complete with natural spring-fed beaver ponds, aspen forests, and the original homestead built in 1916. Nestled at the base of Little Baldy Mountain, the picturesque property is used as a hunting retreat, seasonal pastureland, and family sanctuary to escape the “city life.”

Stout Ranch – Donated in 2001, the 1,300-acre Stout Ranch is a cornerstone to AVLT’s conservation mission in the Garfield Creek area. Bordered on two sides by BLM and on a third by the Garfield Creek State Wildlife area, the ranch is an important link to unfrag-mented habitat and migration corridors. Owner Barry Stout raises polo ponies on the ranch which is host to the annual Devereaux Cup polo tournament – an area tradition since 1893.

Dwyer Family Ranch - The Patrick and Lynn Dwyer property, conserved in 2005, is an important tract at the north boundary of the Garfield Creek State Wildlife Area. Originally homesteaded in the early 1900s for grazing sheep, the 80-acre property was conserved to further protect Garfield Creek’s drainage into the Colorado River as well as the entrance to the wildlife area.

Triple J Ranch - Conserving more than 2,060 acres, the Florida-based Foram Group is responsible for AVLT’s largest-ever single donation. Bordering the western side of the Garfield Creek State Wildlife Area, the Triple J Ranch is managed to provide optimal habitat for mule deer and elk as part of the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s “Ranching for Wildlife” program. The conserved tract includes 1.5 miles of Garfield Creek, which creates a unique riparian corridor and provides beautiful views from Garfield Creek Road and the state wildlife area.

Streamside at Crown Peak – Bob Kelley donated an easement on his 80-acre property Streamside at Crown Peak. The land is a valuable wildlife habitat linkage between public lands and the forested base of Crown Peak. It contains a unique riparian corridor and sustains a small agricultural operation complete with extremely photogenic “fuzzy cows,” (aka Scottish Highland Cattle).