Public money is helping conserve Nottingham Ranch near Burns, but the deal does not create a new place to hike, fish or camp.
Instead, the public benefit is protection of a working landscape: ranchland, wildlife habitat and water rights that conservation partners want to keep intact.
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust announced the closing Friday on a conservation easement covering 18,484 acres across Eagle and Routt counties, according to Vail Daily’s October 10 report. The newspaper reports that the ranch will remain a working cattle operation and will not provide public access.
What Eagle County committed
Eagle County commissioners approved up to $10 million from the county’s Open Space Fund in February. That commitment applies specifically to 9,480.49 acres within Eagle County—not the entire two-county property.
The joint county and land trust announcement described the project as the largest single-acreage conservation effort in the county Open Space program’s history.
The February announcement estimated the easement’s total value at $27 million to $30 million. Those figures were estimates, not a disclosed final purchase price. Vail Daily reports that the land trust did not disclose the full price at closing.
What residents gain
The county’s announcement identified wildlife habitat, scenic landscapes, irrigated agricultural land and senior water rights as reasons to support the project.
It described the ranch as providing winter range, calving areas and migration connections for wildlife, alongside landscapes visible from the Colorado River corridor.
For residents, the benefit is the continued protection of those resources rather than a new recreation destination.
Why the acreage matters
The reported 18,484-acre total includes land in both counties. Eagle County’s portion is about 9,480 acres.
Vail Daily reports that the Eagle County acreage represents approximately 4.4% of the county’s privately owned land. That percentage does not describe all land in Eagle County, which also includes public holdings.
Keeping the distinction clear helps explain the deal’s scale without overstating it.
Conservation does not mean a public park
This agreement should not be treated as permission to enter the ranch. Vail Daily explicitly reports that public access is not included.
The question for residents is therefore what public conservation funding should accomplish: recreation access, protection of habitat and water, preservation of agricultural landscapes—or some combination.
At Nottingham Ranch, the reported outcome centers on keeping the landscape and working ranch together.
Image Credit: Near Sweetwater, along the route toward Burns. Regional context photograph; not identified as Nottingham Ranch. Photo: Andrew Graham / Epic Colorado Life.
