Our public lands are treasured by most Americans and they deserve our protection. But there are rare exceptions when public lands can best be protected by key parcels of conserved private land. Most land incorporated into wilderness today is remote, high elevation mining claims. But with some land — like Snowmass Falls Ranch (SFR), with a road to its gate and adjacent to a heavily used trailhead in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness — it’s important to consider every management option to ensure protection of all values.
There are two deeded trails through SFR today. Given the accessibility and appeal of ranch land like SFR, there are two real risks: One, if the land is sold to the Forest Service that the federal government resales part for a luxury home; and two, the risk of degradation by overuse due to lack of management dollars.
Pitkin County, owners of SFR since 2024, could meet their goals for protecting wildlife, ecological values, watershed and recreation by selling most of SFR to the Forest Service, and the agricultural part to a private landowner willing to work on county goals.
A sale to a private owner was anticipated by Pitkin County, and was written into the formal resolution and printed in the papers. The land would serve as a protective buffer and restoration could continue.
SFR was a working ranch for over 120 years. It is stunningly beautiful land, but it is agricultural land and will need active management for years to come. From the 1880s to 2023, there was continual grazing of cattle and irrigation from five adjudicated ditches. Old cabins, farm machinery and mining tools are scattered about the landscape. Since the 1990s, five people have been buried on the ranch; some with traditional benches and headstones, others marked by rocks. Over the decades, different noxious weeds increased, eventually dominating the land.
In 2007, using cattle as a tool, land and grazing management was stepped up to improve grasses and forbs while removing invasive species, resulting in healthier habitat — a job and challenge that was taken seriously. A secondary goal was to prevent the spread of noxious weeds to the current wilderness. A third was to restore the beaver ponds that washed out in 2000. Today, there is an extensive beaver complex, grasses with deeper roots and few visible weeds. A sale to the Forest Service means a likely end to management, due to lack of funding. Without irrigation, grasses in once irrigated pastures are unable to compete and noxious weeds return. As weeds proliferate, there is a loss of biodiversity.
Today, SFR looks pristine. But looks are deceiving. It took just one very hot, dry summer without much irrigation to illustrate the future of both SFR and the adjacent wilderness.
Ecological value and watershed health are high today, and will remain so if not subject to overuse. Historically, the property has drawn campers and “beer-bros” looking for a good time, and, more recently, recreational shooting with semi-automatic rifles — all acceptable uses in wilderness.
If the Forest Service opts for a full purchase of SFR, the damage could be significant to both SFR and the surrounding wilderness. There’s the political possibility of a resale, and a luxury home. Ecologically, there is the likelihood of overuse, affecting everything from birds nesting on Snowmass Creek to deer and elk; and campsites may abound, as well as human waste, degrading water quality.
The best outcome for habitat and wildlife is to avoid a playground; protecting both SFR and thousands of acres around it, allowing users a true wilderness experience. A strong supporter of wilderness and public lands should consider the details of the location, the challenges, and how — unlike most wilderness parcels — this ranch will require continual active management. The accessibility of this property invites abuse and overuse, and, as such, a partial sale to a qualified steward meeting county goals should be considered.