Cottonwood Ranches Conservation Project

The Conservation Fund, along with the Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust, worked with the Botur family for three years to complete conservation easements on more than 4,600 acres of their working cattle ranch, the Cottonwood Ranches. The conservation easements protect prime riparian habitat, critical for the sage grouse, to aid in the mitigation of oil and gas impacts in Wyoming. The easements also improve habitat conditions on more than 25,000 acres of adjacent land owned by the Bureau of Land Management.

Cottonwood Ranches has been proud to work with the Stock Growers Ag Land Trust and The Conservation Fund over the last three years. Together we have put into conservation more than 4,000 acres of prime riparian habitat to aid in the mitigation of oil and gas impacts in Wyoming. With the conservation of those lands and the support from the Jonah Interagency Office, tens of thousands of acres of important upland rangeland have been effectively supported for the good of the land, the wildlife and the ranch. As a rancher I am also grateful for these efforts to balance the development of our resources with the preservation of the agricultural stewardship that is so important to our communities all across Wyoming.”

- Freddie Botur, owner of Cottonwood Ranches

Summary

The Cottonwood Ranches is located southwest of Daniel, Wyoming in the upper Green River Valley. This large, working cattle ranch provides crucial winter and yearlong habitat for mule deer, moose, elk, pronghorn antelope, and sage grouse. The project represents the first use of Jonah Interagency Office (JIO) oil and gas mitigation funds for permanent land conservation.

The Cottonwood Ranch property contains more than four miles of riparian and wetland habitat along Muddy Creek and is completely surrounded by public land. The Wyoming Game & Fish Department selected the site because it contains some of the highest quality sage grouse habitat in the Green River Valley—in a single visit more than 250 sage grouse were observed on the property. (See video of the sage grouse and its famous mating strut).

Challenge

Western ranchland is disappearing and with it important wildlife habitat. Partnerships between government agencies, willing ranchers and conservation groups are increasingly important to the future of this habitat.

Solution

The Conservation Fund worked with the Botur family, owners of Cottonwood Ranches, to place three conservation easements on their property, thereby preserving a family legacy of ranching while at the same time protecting critical wildlife habitat.

Funding for the easements came from JIO mitigation funds, the Wyoming Wildlife & Natural Resources Trust and The Nature Conservancy, through a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for the support of Wyoming’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. The Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust will monitor and enforce the easements.

Results

The conservation easements ensure that over 4,600 acres of prime riparian habitat is conserved permanently and the property can forever remain a working ranch.

Other long term benefits of this project include:

• Enhancement and ongoing monitoring of important sage grouse and pronghorn antelope habitat in a controlled area with the highest wildlife values in southwestern Wyoming.
• Simple, cost effective water development project to enhance forage production for sage grouse and other wildlife species in conjunction with the BLM and Trout Unlimited.
• Permanent conservation easements require landowner to conduct long-term habitat enhancement and maintenance beyond simple open space protection.

“The Boturs are incredible stewards of the land and we are grateful to them—and all of our partners—for their continued commitment to conserving Wyoming’s natural heritage.” — Luke Lynch, Wyoming state director for The Conservation Fund.