In Park County, Colo., ranchers who want to maintain
their traditional land uses are saying “no, thank you” to housing
developers. Instead, they’re welcoming
tourists.
Seven years ago, several ranchers and
county officials formed the South Park Heritage Area Board. The
board, along with six partner organizations, aims to protect
ranchers with conservation easements, and preserve local cultural
and natural resources. Its highest priority for protection is the
Wahl-Coleman Ranch, a 2,250-acre ranch with enviable water rights
and wetlands rich with wildlife. The coalition hopes its work will
eventually generate new local economies: education, heritage
tourism and recreation.
Board chairman and
rancher Bill Gordon believes there is a “will and desire in the
county to preserve our past.” He points to the 1 percent sales tax
– the first ever passed in the county – now dedicated to protecting
the county’s remaining water resources.
Gary
Nichols, Park County director of Tourism and Community Development,
expects the local push for preservation to draw visitors from
Colorado’s Front Range.
“Increasingly, people are
looking for authentic, noncommercial vacation destinations within
100 miles of home,” he says. “That’s what we
offer.”
For more information, write to Nichols at
the Park County Tourism and Community Development Office, P.O. Box
1373, Fairplay, CO 80440; call 719/836-4270; or e-mail
gnichols@amigo.net.
Copyright © 2002 HCN and Dawn Caillouet
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Ranchers offer hospitality.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
