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The Colorado Lottery awarded CCALT and the Hall family a 2024 Starburst Award for the Delhi Ranch Conservation Easement that conserves over 27,000 acres of prairie, canyons, bluffs, and grazing lands that span three counties in Southeast Colorado. The Hall family homesteaded this area in 1916 and built a significant cattle operation. The third, fourth, and fifth generations of the family still steward these lands. This award was also presented at the Colorado State Fair PRCA Pro Rodeo on August 26, 2024.

The Leopold Conservation Award is a program in 28 states that honors ranchers, farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.

Norman Smith grew up on his family ranch found on a beautiful plateau and valley that can be seen from Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs.

The Smith family cared for the ranch for over 25 years, and then sold the ranch to the Ritchie family in 1960. The Ritchie family owned JA Ranch, the oldest running cattle operation in the Texas Panhandle. They expanded operations to the Colorado property they also named JA Ranch. The Ritchie family conserved the ranch in 1999, and transferred holding of the easement to the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) in 2023.

Norman Smith visited the JA Ranch in Fall 2023, and was gracious enough to tell us his family's story and his favorite memories of the ranch he still calls home. The Smith and Ritchie families are wonderful examples of the ethos for taking care of the land under their stewardship. CCALT is proud to become part of this great stewardship legacy and support the JA Ranch in their ownership and management of the property.

Norman Smith grew up on his family ranch found on a beautiful plateau and valley that can be seen from Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs.

The Smith family cared for the ranch for over 25 years, and then sold the ranch to the Ritchie family in 1960. The Ritchie family owned JA Ranch, the oldest running cattle operation in the Texas Panhandle. They expanded operations to the Colorado property they also named JA Ranch. The Ritchie family conserved the ranch in 1999, and transferred holding of the easement to the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) in 2023.

Norman Smith visited the JA Ranch in Fall 2023, and was gracious enough to tell us his family's story and his favorite memories of the ranch he still calls home. The Smith and Ritchie families are wonderful examples of the ethos for taking care of the land under their stewardship. CCALT is proud to become part of this great stewardship legacy and support the JA Ranch in their ownership and management of the property.

The Pankey family’s resilience was put to a test when a wildfire burned nearly half of their ranch in 2018. Among the devastating impacts of the fire was livestock and wildlife could no longer drink from ponds because they were covered in ashes.

Keith and Shelley Pankey raise beef cattle with their sons, Kevin and Justin and their families, in Moffat and Routt counties. They have a history of doing right by their land. Following the fire, they cleaned the ponds and aerially reseeded native grasses on 900 acres in the fire’s path. It’s not the first time investing in conservation practices has paid off for this family and the landscape they share with livestock and wildlife.

Keith’s great grandfather homesteaded an area of high desert known as Great Divide. The Pankeys are still able to graze cattle in the drought-prone region from spring through fall thanks to improved water distribution and rotational grazing systems.

They replaced windmill-powered wells with solar pumps. New water storage tanks and nearly three miles of natural flow pipelines were also added. By expanding the number of watering stations (from six to 12) the Pankeys increased their ability to properly graze cattle while creating wildlife habitat across the ranch.

Precipitation, range conditions, and animal performance all impact how the Pankeys plan pasture rotations and stocking rates. They analyze pasture rotations to determine which areas benefit from early, middle or late season grazing. They’ve also found that some areas benefit from longer or shorter periods of grazing, while others benefit from being grazed twice in the same season.

When cattle widely disburse themselves, the Pankeys find that grass recovers at a faster rate, and taller grass is left behind when the cattle are rotated to another pasture. The ranch’s wildlife populations have greatly increased thanks to rotational grazing and the improved water system. By working with neighbors to control noxious weeds, desirable grasses have become dominant across the ranch.

Pankey Ranch borders Colorado’s largest Greater sage-grouse lek, a breeding ground for this declining species. The Pankeys hosted Colorado State University students to study grasses, insects, and Greater sage-grouse habitat in the Great Divide range. Their study was helpful in determining which conservation practices to adopt. The Pankeys fenced off a large area around a natural spring to provide cover. They also equipped water storage tanks with overflows that provide water and prolonged green vegetation to encourage production of insects that grouse chicks consume.

The Pankeys are involved with a large-scale conservation effort led by Trout Unlimited to stabilize Elk Head Creek’s riparian corridor. They have installed rock toe and erosion control mats, and reseeded stream banks to prevent erosion. Hundreds of willow trees have been planted in corridors to preserve wetlands and fish habitat. Less erosion in the creek means cleaner water downstream in the Elk Head Reservoir and Yampa River. This family’s leadership in raising awareness of the creek’s impaired health, and commitment to on-the-ground conservation practices, is inspiring other landowners to follow suit.

The Pankeys also provide public hunting opportunities on their land. In 2011, they obtained a conservation easement on their Routt County property through the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust to ensure future agricultural uses on the land. As a longtime volunteer with the Moffat County Fair, Keith shares his land ethic and conservation practices with youth, neighbors and the general public.

Private lands are critical to wildlife populations. Ensuring that migration corridors, functional habitat, and large landscapes remain intact are all benefits of investing in private lands conservation efforts.

The Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust works to conserve Colorado’s western heritage and working landscapes for the benefit of future generations. Hear the hopes for the next generation from landowners near Meeker, CO.

Enjoy the Hill Family Conservation Legacy, CCALT, The Trust for Public Land, Great Outdoors Colorado - GOCO , and the NRCS and learn about the impressive, decades long conservation effort throughout the Saguache Creek Corridor. This group of partners has more than 22 years invested in this working landscape.

The Leopold Conservation Award Program recognizes agricultural landowners actively committed to a land ethic. In Colorado, the award recognizes and celebrates extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation by private landowners, inspires countless other landowners by example, and provides a prominent platform by which agricultural community leaders are recognized as conservation ambassadors to citizens outside of agriculture. In addition, the award program builds bridges between agriculture, government, environmental organizations, industry, and academia to advance the cause of private lands conservation.

In Colorado, the Leopold Conservation Award is presented by the Sand County Foundation, the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust, and the Colorado Cattlemen's Association.

Congratulations to the 2021 recipients, the May Ranch and May Family!

Video: Preston Hoffman

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