Park County, Colorado—In a groundbreaking partnership, Eagle Rock Ranch, The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT), and the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), have launched Colorado’s first Elk Migration Agreement. This innovative project compensates ranchers for protecting vital habitat for migratory elk herds while maintaining agricultural operations.
Dave Gottenborg, owner of the Eagle Rock Ranch in Park County, Colorado, will implement a new grazing system that leaves designated pastures ungrazed, allowing for forage during winter months when elk need them most, while encouraging continued grazing. In return, he’ll receive compensation for the grazing he forgoes, creating a new income stream that helps offset the costs of hosting wildlife on his land without sacrificing agricultural viability. These measures ensure that the ranch continues to serve as a working agricultural operation while also addressing the needs of wildlife and greater ecosystem resiliency.
“The Elk Migration Agreement demonstrates how agricultural stewardship and conservation can work hand-in-hand to create lasting benefits for wildlife and the people who manage working lands,” said Brendan Boepple, Director of Conservation at CCALT. “By supporting landowners like Dave Gottenborg and Eagle Rock Ranch, we’re protecting the economic sustainability of agricultural operations and conserving critical habitats that benefit all Coloradans.”
The partnership brings together three organizations with complementary strengths:
- Eagle Rock Ranch, home to the Kenosha Pass elk herd’s winter habitat, serves as the pilot site, demonstrating how working ranches can enhance wildlife conservation while maintaining profitable operations. Private landowners, like Dave Gottenborg of Eagle Rock Ranch, are at the heart of conservation in Colorado, providing critical habitat for wildlife and supporting the state’s vibrant agricultural economy.
- CCALT, which specializes in conserving Colorado’s agricultural lands and wildlife habitat, will oversee the program’s implementation. They have partnered with hundreds of ranchers to conserve more than 805,000 acres across the state.
- PERC, the national leader in market solutions for conservation, designed the innovative payment structure that fairly compensates ranchers for their conservation efforts. PERC’s Conservation Innovation Lab develops and prototypes groundbreaking models to address key conservation challenges.
“For too long, private landowners have borne the costs of hosting wildlife that the public values, potentially at the detriment to agricultural operations,” said Travis Brammer, Director of Conservation at PERC. “This voluntary agreement creates a framework where ranchers can be compensated for providing crucial wildlife habitat, making conservation an asset rather than a liability and supporting the viability of working ranches.”
The five-year agreement serves as a model for future conservation partnerships across Colorado and beyond. It demonstrates how market-based solutions can support both agricultural productivity and wildlife conservation, creating positive outcomes for ranchers and wildlife.
In addition to improving elk habitat and migration corridors, the Elk Migration Agreement supports the long-term sustainability of the ranching operation by helping offset the costs associated with hosting elk, such as fence damage and forage loss. These efforts reduce the financial pressures that could lead to subdivision or development of agricultural lands, thereby safeguarding Colorado’s iconic landscapes and rural communities.
The Elk Migration Agreement represents a significant step forward in the growing field of ecosystem service incentives and markets. By compensating Eagle Rock Ranch for the critical habitat it provides to migratory elk, the agreement establishes a tangible market value for conservation efforts on working lands, allowing the public and others who benefit from large herds of elk to compensate for the provision of habitat upon which those elk rely. This approach acknowledges the ecological contributions of private landowners and sets the stage for expanding ecosystem service markets that support carbon sequestration, water quality, and biodiversity protection.
The agreement also expands CCALT’s growing additive conservation program, which provides agricultural landowners with innovative tools and opportunities to enhance conservation outcomes while addressing the unique challenges of managing working lands.
“Creating a reality where both private landowners and migratory wildlife can co-exist peacefully is a win-win-win for the environment, ranchers, and the general public, as working lands are the cornerstone of rural communities and play a vital role in supporting landscape-scale ecosystems,” said Dave Gottenborg. “We applaud PERC and CCALT for thinking outside the box to help solve the perennial western problem of fence and forage damage caused by winter elk. Ultimately, this first-of-its-kind agreement gives credence to Aldo Leopold’s belief that conservation boils down to the private landowner who preserves the public interest.”
About Eagle Rock Ranch
Eagle Rock Ranch is a family-owned cattle and certified weed-free hay operation in Jefferson, Colo., that produces high-quality, all-natural beef from purebred humanely raised certified Black Angus cattle. Dave and Jean Gottenborg, alongside their daughter Erin Michalski, believe in operating in a manner respectful of both the land and the livestock, emulating natural processes as closely as possible when it comes to cattle care and land conservation. Their motto guides them: “Quality in everything we do.”
About CCALT
Since 1995, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust has partnered with over 400 families to conserve more than 805,000 acres of Colorado farmland, ranchland, open space, and wildlife habitat. CCALT is dedicated to preserving Colorado’s Western heritage and working landscapes for future generations.
About PERC
The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) is the national leader in market solutions for conservation, with over 40 years of research and a network of respected scholars and practitioners. Through research, law and policy, and innovative applied conservation programs, PERC explores how aligning incentives for environmental stewardship produces sustainable outcomes for land, water, and wildlife. Founded in 1980, PERC is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and proudly based in Bozeman, Montana.
