A new conservation easement five miles east of Craig creates a property where ranchers and wildlife can coexist and thrive year-round.

The Hume ranching family have partnered with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust to permanently conserve their 975-acre ranch through conservation easements, which are agreements entered into by private landowners and land conservation groups to help conserve certain areas of land.

The ranch, bisected by Highway 40, provides spring and summer range for cattle, fall hay production and winter feed, as well as housing the Hume’s cow-calf operation, a mile of the Yampa River, and a crucial wildlife migration corridor.

According to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the ranch contains over 150 acres of Farmland of Statewide Importance, which indicates that the ground is particularly fertile and economically productive. This is because the ranch benefits from both the high water table along the Yampa River and senior irrigation rights from the Norvell Ditch and Rowley Pump Stations.

The Hume family have been ranching since the early 20th century and felt that linking the family and the land would show the commitment they have to their ranching operation.

“We want future generations to see the land the same we see it now,” Jake Hume said. “To have the same opportunities we have enjoyed in raising a family and raising livestock while respecting wildlife and taking care of the land, all while working together to make sure that nothing gets left out.”

In addition to protecting the Hume family’s rights to the land, the property also provides habitat for elk and mule deer across its rangelands and grasslands. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife has identified it as part of an important migration corridor and a winter concentration area. This doesn’t just apply to elk, as the CPW has also recognized the habitat for several species of birds, fish and mammals that rely on the Yampa River.

With help from the NRCS, the Hume family was able to reseed portions of the ranch back to native, perennial vegetation and plan to continue to evaluate the areas to determine sustainable stocking rates.

“This conservation easement is a great example of how an agricultural conservation easement can support a working ranch operation while also protecting critical wildlife habitat, big game migration corridors and scenic views,” said John Gioia, CCALT’s Director of Transactions.

While conservation easements do not guarantee public access to the land, the Hume ranch is situated within 3,400 acres of lands protected by similar easements, as well as public and state lands managed by the CPW, the Bureau of Land Management and the Colorado State Land Board.