Hillside Mountain Ranch is located in the Wet Mountain Valley north of Westcliffe and is highly visible from CO Highway 69. The 314-acre property consists of mountain grasslands, upland scrub habitat, herbaceous wetlands, and hayfields irrigated by senior water rights. The property is valuable to wildlife, hosting elk year-round, as well as pronghorn, bear, badger, raptors, mule deer, fish, amphibians, and diverse songbirds.
In 2020, the landowners purchased Hillside Mountain Ranch with the proceeds from a conservation easement on their nearby homeplace. This landowning couple originally met over 40 years ago while working on the Hillside Mountain Ranch, so this purchase was a dream come true! They now operate it as part of their well-respected cattle operation in the Wet Mountain Valley, which includes providing and participating in soil health and grazing workshops.
Just two days after the conservation easement was finalized, these landowners generously hosted Colorado Open Lands’ annual celebration of conservation in the Wet Mountain Valley! In addition to celebrating this conservation success, COL and the San Isabel Advisory Committee also awarded the Alice Proctor Outstanding Supporter of the Year Award to Pari Morse, who has been providing her time, expertise, and passion to local conservation efforts for decades.
Natural Resources Conservation Service was a project partner on the conservation of Hillside Mountain Ranch.