From rolling grasslands to dramatic mesas, Colorado’s unspoiled beauty can be appreciated from any number of vantage points around the state, including from the seat of a car. But it’s more than just a nice view. A stretch of highway between Denver and Colorado Springs provides a home for bighorn sheep, elk, black bears, mountain lions, pronghorn antelope, deer and a wide variety of birds and raptors.

Keeping It Natural

The land has remained untouched thanks in large part to the I-25 Conservation Corridor Project, an ongoing effort of The Conservation Fund and Douglas County. Since 1994, we’ve strategically worked to conserve historical ranches and open space along this stretch of highway in one of the nation’s fastest growing counties. Through a combination of land acquisitions and conservation easements, we have protected more than 35,000 acres spanning 12 miles along I-25.

The centerpiece of this conservation effort is the 21,000-acre Greenland Ranch, the oldest operating cattle ranch along the Front Range. Located south of Denver, Greenland Ranch includes 8 miles of I-25. Douglas County acquired a quarter of the property for public open space and protected the remainder through a conservation easement, which allows for the continuation of ranching yet restricts future development. Key support for this project came from Douglas County and Great Outdoors Colorado, a voter-approved program that uses lottery proceeds for land conservation.

Why This Project Matters

By conserving lands such as this, TCF is keeping Colorado’s ranching and outdoor heritage intact and illustrating how communities can balance growth with open space. What’s more, the estimated 50,000 people who travel this stretch of I-25 every day can enjoy the full beauty of this land uncluttered by billboards and haphazard development.

Learn More

• “Denver Conservationist Leaves Home To Protect Open Space” (CBS Denver)
• Great Outdoors Colorado