As open land across Colorado's Western Slope disappears at a record pace, a growing number of landowners are turning to a legal tool to keep their property intact: the conservation easement. While the term may sound like bureaucratic jargon, the concept is remarkably simple—and profoundly impactful.
In a recent episode of Local Motion from KVNF, host Brody Wilson explores what conservation easements are, how they work, and why families across Delta County are choosing them. Through two powerful local stories—one from a newcomer, and one from a ranching family that's lived on the land for generations—we see how conservation easements can serve very different lives, while preserving the same essential thing: the land.
What Is a Conservation Easement?
At its core, a conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement. A landowner gives up the right to develop or subdivide their land—forever. In exchange, the land stays in private hands and can continue to be used for ranching, farming, hunting, or recreation.
“The root of what a land trust does is conserve land,” said Ilana Moir, Director of Conservation at Colorado West Land Trust. “And the tool that we use to do that is called a conservation easement… a landowner agrees not to subdivide or develop their property with houses, infrastructure, etc.”
The nonprofit—like Colorado West Land Trust—becomes the easement “holder” and is responsible for enforcing the agreement in perpetuity.
While every easement is different, most aim to keep land in agricultural use or natural habitat. In Western Colorado, that often means protecting wildlife corridors, preserving water rights, or maintaining open space at the edge of fast-growing communities.
“We preserve riparian areas along streams and rivers,” said Moir. “We preserve working lands—ranches, farmland, row crops, perennial crops like peaches and apples… and we work really hard on ensuring water stays on the property.”
Why Would Someone Do This?
It’s not just about principle. There are incentives.
Landowners who give up development rights are also giving up a portion of their land’s market value. The State of Colorado recognizes that loss and offers a transferable tax credit in return—something many landowners can sell.
“The biggest incentive is at the state level,” said Moir. “The credit is transferable, which means landowners can receive a tax credit that they can use on their own taxes, or they can sell that credit to a third party that has a high tax liability.”
In other words: it’s possible to conserve your land—and get a meaningful chunk of money back.
Moir offered a simple example. If a property is worth $1 million, and an easement reduces its development potential so it’s now worth $700,000, the landowner could receive 90% of that $300,000 difference as a tax credit. That credit could then be sold—typically at a 10-15% discount.
That makes the easement a powerful tool, especially for older landowners who are “land rich, cash poor,” and looking for ways to age in place, pay for long-term care, or leave their land intact for the next generation.
But for some, the motivation is more personal.
A Scenic Mesa Story: Peter Slaugh
Peter Slaugh didn’t come to the North Fork Valley to run cattle or grow crops. He came for the open space.
Born in Pennsylvania, Peter spent most of his adult life in California’s Bay Area and Tahoe region. A real estate investor by trade, he came to Western Colorado with a deep appreciation for landscapes—and a desire to leave something behind.
“It’s a little under 7,500 acres,” Slaugh said of his property on Scenic Mesa, a vast stretch of land bordered by the Gunnison River, the North Fork, and the Smith Fork. “Everywhere you look, there's some kind of life happening—birds, ducks, geese, blue heron… the wintering elk herd each summer… maybe someday wolves.”
Slaugh’s background is in real estate, but he says this was the most personal land deal of his life.
“This was gifted to me in some kind of way,” he said. “The great river spoke and delivered this environment to me… There’s a piece of me that says we’re not here forever. So what we ought to do is think long term.”
Although financial incentives were part of the conversation, Slaugh said they weren’t the driving force.
“To put the conservation easement in place today resolves some of those legacy questions,” he said. “I don’t know if my kids will be able to keep this land. But at least I know it won’t be broken up.”
In partnership with Colorado West Land Trust, Slaugh also plans to begin an active habitat restoration effort—removing invasive species, restoring riparian corridors, and creating space for wildlife to thrive.
A legacy built one piece at a time: Darold and Christy Hawk
If Slaugh’s story is about personal philosophy, the next one is about deep generational roots.
Darold and Christy Hawk run a working cattle ranch at the base of Needle Rock in Crawford. His family bought the land in 1951. Together, they’ve grown it from 40 acres and five cows to over 440 acres, plus a grazing permit in the West Elk Wilderness.
“We just kept buying,” Christy said. “We bought a little more of the home place from my sisters… and then we had the opportunity to buy more.”
The Hawks have four children and seven grandchildren. Their reasons for placing a conservation easement on their land are equal parts financial and emotional.
“It’s got to stay in the family,” said Christy. “We’ve had family that sold ranches and once they’re gone, you never get them back.”
The couple is frank about the reality of ranching today. Their cattle don’t make them rich. They rely on Darold's income shoeing horses, and the price of everything—from hay to feed to fuel—has doubled.
“The cows pay their way,” Christy said. “But they don’t give us enough to live on.”
The conservation easement helps. It provides compensation that will allow them to pay down debt and ensure the land can be passed on without being sold off piece by piece.
“We didn’t do this for our kids to feel obligated,” Christy said. “This was our dream. But we want to leave them the option. We don’t want them to have to sell it just to cover the loan.”
Paying It Forward
For the Hawks, the decision was also about paying it forward.
Years ago, they got their start because other ranchers gave them a chance—offering to sell land and grazing permits on generous terms.
“They carried the note,” Christy said. “They gave us an opportunity. Now we want to be able to do the same for someone else.”
Darold, who dreamed of running cows since he was ten years old, says he still believes in the value of ranching—not just as a livelihood, but as a form of stewardship.
“One day, people are going to realize that we can’t build houses on everything,” he said. “We’re all going to need to eat.”
A Growing Tool for a Changing Landscape
Whether motivated by wildlife, working land, or family legacy, more Coloradans are turning to conservation easements as a way to protect land—without giving it up.
As Moir puts it: “Land conservation in Colorado is voluntary. A landowner has to choose it. They have to say, ‘I care about this place, and I want to see it protected.’”
The landowners in this story made that choice.
And thanks to them—and others like them—the valleys and ridgelines of Western Colorado will continue to hold space for wild things, working farms, and the families who care for both.
