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Projects

Delhi Ranch

The Iron Springs and UE Ranches, protected together via the Delhi Ranch conservation easement and carbon project, span over 27,000 acres of rolling shortgrass prairie and piñon–juniper woodland in the upper Arkansas River Valley of southeastern Colorado. The Hall family has been ranching in the area for over a century, with operations continuing today that include horse training and breeding, cattle grazing, and direct-to-consumer beef sales.

Prairie grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. With nearly half of Colorado’s shortgrass prairie already lost to other land uses, protecting large intact swaths of this endangered grassland and its associated biodiversity is more critical than ever. The Delhi Ranch and its neighboring lands represent one of the largest remaining unbroken stretches of grassland prairie in the United States, making this project particularly important to landscape-level habitat connectivity. Large mammals including mule deer, mountain lion, white-tailed deer, antelope, and elk roam this region throughout the year. While high-conservation priority species, like the burrowing owl, plains leopard frog, swift fox, golden eagle, and Colorado checkered whiptail, also call these ranches home.

More than just an incentive to protect the property’s soil carbon, carbon credit revenues are building climate resiliency for the family by providing diversified income during periods of drought and low forage availability. This project also supports public recreation, as the region’s much loved Santa Fe Trail crosses through the undeveloped property. The project is anticipated to permanently protect 350,000 metric tons of soil carbon.

 

Image of dark wheat field during sunrise.

Our Mission & Vision

As a nonprofit organization, our investments are driven by climate impact and put landowners first. We work alongside our partners to develop and fund projects that support grassland conservation, reforestation, and improved forest management strategies.