Conservation easements usually protect
open space on private land (HCN, 2/28/00: Acre by acre: Can land
trusts save the West’s disappearing open space?), but a new
easement in southwestern Colorado also protects what’s underneath
the land. In December, an agreement between landowner Don Dove and
the Montezuma Land Conservancy preserved 110 acres of ancestral
Puebloan ruins just south of Cortez. The easement permanently bans
development on the property and specifies fines for anyone who
disturbs the artifacts without a permit.
The
easement is the first of its kind in Colorado, says Kevin
Essington, executive director of the Montezuma conservancy. The
ruins include numerous pueblos, a great kiva, and an unusual
“tri-wall” structure with parallel horseshoe-shaped walls. The
site, which is listed on the state historic register, was occupied
from 805 A.D. or earlier to the mid-13th century. It is believed to
be the longest-continuously occupied site in the area, except for
nearby Mesa Verde, and Essington is happy to see it protected.
“When you consider that the property is adjacent to the city of
Cortez, the threat of its being developed was very real,” he
says.
Dove, who holds a master’s degree in
archaeology, is also pleased to have his land protected in
perpetuity. He says that though some ruins have sustained damage
from bulldozing and livestock-grazing, most of the underground
resources are intact and have yet to be
studied.
For more information, call the Montezuma
Land Conservancy at 970/565-1664 or write to P.O. Box 1522, Cortez,
CO 81321.
Copyright 2001 HCN and Gail
Binkly
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Easement saves artifacts.
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