CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS PROTECT WILDLIFE HABITAT
CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS PROTECT WILDLIFE HABITAT
STONEWALL, Colo. – The Colorado Division of Wildlife has reached an agreement with the Torres family of Las Animas County to protect 2,387 acres of valuable wildlife habitat. Five parcels southwest of Stonewall have been placed in conservation easements that will permanently protect the land from being sub-divided and fragmented.
The Torres Conservation Easements will protect critical habitat for deer, elk, bear, turkey, and a multitude of other wildlife species. The land includes elk calving areas, deer winter range, denning sites for bears, strutting grounds for wild turkey, and habitat for dozens of species of birds and other wildlife.
The Torres parcels are located in a transition zone between alpine, aspen, and Ponderosa Pine habitat; and will ensure preservation of an important elk migration corridor.
"This land is a prime area for wildlife. We are pleased to know it won’t be chopped up by buildings and roads," said Marvin ‘Glen’ Torres of Trinidad. "Conservation easements are a great way to keep the land the way it is," he said.
"The Torres family should be commended for the legacy they will leave to future generations," said Bob Holder of the Division of Wildlife. "It is particularly satisfying to know that JL (Louie), Kelly, Glen, and Robert Torres had the strength, courage, and foresight to establish these conservation easements. Their efforts are a shining example to other small landowners that conservation easements are a viable option to protect their land and legacy."
By combining funds collected from habitat stamp sales with grants from Great Outdoors Colorado and other sources, the DOW has permanently preserved approximately 75,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat since 2007 – including nearly 21,000 acres opened to public access for hunting and fishing.
DOW acquisitions and easements have protected critical habitats for sensitive species like sage-grouse, and preserved important winter range and migration corridors for deer and elk.
Conservation easements allow people to continue to use the land they own for existing practices like farming or ranching, but in the event the landowner sells, the new owners are bound by the stipulations of the conservation easement as well.
A nine-member citizen’s committee appointed by the Governor oversees the DOW habitat stamp program. Proposals are reviewed and ranked according to wildlife benefits, public access, and cost.
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For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.
