A huge area of alpine wilderness in southern Colorado has been permanently protected from commercial development after the family of late publishing tycoon Malcolm Forbes donated an 80,000-acre conservation easement. The agreement, managed by Colorado Open Lands, is the largest donated conservation easement in Colorado’s history. It permanently limits subdivision and commercial development on the historic Trinchera Ranch, protecting large areas of pine forests, mountain peaks and important wildlife habitats in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. The landmark agreement completes 35 years of stewardship by the Forbes family, which first bought the historic property in 1969. Through the easement, the family ensured that the mountain landscape would remain in its natural state forever, regardless of future changes in ownership. Documents published by Colorado Open Lands and the National Park Service highlight the environmental importance of the agreement. The protected land connects large high-altitude areas that provide important habitats for native elk, black bears, bighorn sheep and cutthroat trout.
High-altitude wilderness and historic roots
Located in Costilla County in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Trinchera Ranch is part of the historic 1841 Sangre de Cristo Land Grant. The original grant covered hundreds of thousands of acres across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico before being divided into separate agricultural and timber properties over the following century. Publishing tycoon Malcolm Forbes bought Trinchera Ranch and the nearby Blanca Ranch in 1969 for about $50 per acre. In 1971, Forbes separated a 66,000-acre section along the western boundary to create the Sangre de Cristo Ranches residential subdivision. He kept more than 110,000 acres for ranching, timber management and personal recreation. After Forbes died in 1990, his children looked at long-term conservation options to stop the remaining wilderness from being divided into smaller residential lots or commercial developments. The resulting 80,000-acre easement donated to Colorado Open Lands legally binds both current and future owners. It prevents subdivision while allowing traditional farming and forestry activities to continue under strict environmental rules.
Protecting alpine ecosystems and wildlife corridors
Environmental groups and state conservation officials have praised the easement as an important protection for the San Luis Valley’s natural environment. The protected land includes peaks rising above 14,000 feet, including areas near Mount Blanca, as well as miles of untouched alpine streams that flow into the Rio Grande basin. According to reports from Colorado Open Lands, protecting private land on this scale is important for maintaining wildlife migration routes. Large private ranches across the American West often face financial pressure to divide their land into smaller properties or holiday home developments, which can break up sensitive ecosystems. By protecting 80,000 connected acres through a permanent conservation easement, the Forbes family created a protected buffer next to public lands, including the Rio Grande National Forest and nearby federal wildlife preserves. A conservation easement allows the land to remain privately owned and managed while permanently giving up the right to build high-density housing, industrial facilities or major commercial infrastructure.
Transition to new ownership under Louis Bacon
The conservation plan created by the Forbes family later helped establish wider environmental protections across the ranch complex. In November 2007, three years after the original 80,000-acre easement was completed, the Forbes estate sold the entire 171,400-acre property, including Trinchera Ranch and Blanca Ranch, to financier and conservationist Louis Bacon for $175 million, according to Wikipedia and local real estate archives. Bacon built on the Forbes family’s conservation efforts by placing the remaining unprotected land under additional conservation agreements. In 2012, Bacon worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Open Lands to donate more easements, helping establish the Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area. Today, the entire original 172,000-acre estate is protected from future subdivision, creating one of the largest connected private conservation areas in North America. The Forbes family’s original 80,000-acre donation remains the foundation of the wider regional conservation effort. Trinchera Ranch continues to operate as a working timber and eco-tourism ranch, showing how private landownership and long-term environmental protection can exist together in the American West.
