Mountain Island Ranch

Acreage: 3,000 acres
Location: Grand County
Date Completed: 1998

Description: On December 11, 1998, Utah Open Lands accepted six separate conservation easements completing the preservation of Mountain Island Ranch -- the only private inholding in an area known as the Dolores Triangle. In partnership with the Mesa County Land Conservancy of Colorado, the entire 32,000 acre ranch spanning across Utah and Colorado is forever safeguarded from development. The ranch maintains a healthy cattle and buffalo herd and also holds grazing leases on roughly 100,000 acres of BLM ground. The landowner's intent is to maintain the property as a working ranch, maintaining its historical and cultural ranching heritage, while preserving critical wildlife habitat, including one of the state's only four known Bald Eagle nesting sites, a heron rookery, and sensitive riparian areas that are home to the endangered humpback chub, Colorado Squawfish, and Razorback and Bony-tailed chubs. Similar in magnitude to the Dugout Ranch, the preservation of the Mountain Island Ranch stands as beacon to other landowners as to the value of conservation organizations.