Transforming private land into public land – and the access that goes with it – can take time. But the wait is more than worth it.
In 2018, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation worked with a conservation-minded landowner – also an RMEF member – to conserve a small 24-acre parcel in northern end of the San Luis Valley between Pueblo, Montrose and Alamosa in southcentral Colorado.
Two and a half years later, RMEF conveyed the Middle Creek tract to the Bureau of Land Management, opening it to public access for all to use and enjoy.
Five years later, in 2023, RMEF enlarged the property by 25 acres – this time, improving the public access trailhead and creating a site large enough for parking and camping for hunters and stock.
The property sits at nearly 9,000 feet in elevation and features quality wildlife habitat including riparian meadows, grasslands and mixed conifers.
The surrounding area is home to elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, black bears, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, upland birds and trout from Middle Creek which meanders through the property.
Today’s bottom line is this conservation action improves public access to 8,500 acres of adjacent public land since it connects U.S. Forest Service land to the west with Bureau of Land Management land to the east via a public county road that spans almost six miles without public land access points.
Since 1984 – RMEF has opened or improved public access to 1.6 million acres.
To view the sites and boundaries of RMEF land conservation and access projects, turn on the RMEF layer. And use the code RMEF when signing up for your onX subscription to receive a 20% discount.
