Impact to Date
Impact
CCALT is proud of the hundreds of thousands of acres that we have been able to conserve in partnership with our landowners, partners, and donors.
Below is a glimpse of the impact our donors and partners have had in the past 27 years. Without them, we would not be where we are today. Please enjoy reading more about these families, their love of the land, and their commitment to protecting Colorado’s heritage and way of life.
agricultural heritage
More than
400+
families with CCALT easements feed more than 41,000 people each year.
farms & ranches
More than
765k+
acres of agricultural lands have been permanently conserved across Colorado.
rivers & streams
More than
1,141
miles of land along rivers and streams will never be developed.
wildlife habitat conserved – in acres
Mule Deer:
634,769
Elk:
418,015
Pronghorn:
361,109
Moose:
109,957
explore ccalt’s conservation
work to date
Hover your mouse over the map to see CCALT’s conservation impact in each Colorado County.
Click on the county to learn more. (*One acre is approximately the size of a football field.)
more success stories
Each conserved ranch highlights a unique connection between family, nature, and agriculture. Click the images below to learn more about the families who have partnered with CCALT to conserve their land.
Saguache Creek Corridor
Cross L Ranch
North Park
Patterson Ranch
leopold conservation award
Celebrating an Extraordinary Commitment to the Land
The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the $10,000 award honors agricultural landowners in Colorado who demonstrate outstanding stewardship and management of natural resources.
In Colorado, the award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity. Award applicants are judged based on their demonstration of improved resource conditions, innovation, long-term commitment to stewardship, sustained economic viability, community and civic leadership, and multiple use benefits.
The Leopold Conservation Award in Colorado is made possible thanks to the generous contributions from Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, American Farmland Trust, Stanko Ranch, Gates Family Foundation, American AgCredit, Premier Farm Credit, Farm Credit of Southern Colorado, CoBank, Gates Family Foundation, The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and McDonald’s.
2023 Award Recipient
PRESENTING PARTNERS
SPONSORS
Stanko Ranch
Gates Family Foundation
American AgCredit
The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
The Nature Conservancy in Colorado
McDonald’s