Innovative Conservation Agreement: Rancher Allows Elk to Roam in Exchange for Lease Assistance
In a groundbreaking deal, Colorado rancher Dave Gottenborg has entered an agreement with the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) to allow migratory elk access to his ranch, Eagle Rock Ranch, in exchange for help with land lease costs.
The agreement is part of an innovative approach to conservation and cattle ranching. The PERC is covering up to two-thirds of the cost for Gottenborg’s land leases with neighboring private landowners, provided he allows elk to pass through and graze, even if it means the elk might eat some of the grass his cattle would normally forage on.
The move comes as a response to the disruption of native species, like elk, whose migration routes have been obstructed by agricultural development. In winter, when forage is scarce, it’s easier for landowners to let cattle roam on land without crops, and now they’re compensated for doing so while also aiding wildlife.
This program is a win-win: PERC’s financial assistance relieves ranchers like Gottenborg from the stress of wildlife damage (with 500 elk sometimes consuming 20 pounds of forage per day per elk) while ensuring wildlife mobility. Ranchers only need to remove barbed wire fencing during winter, allowing the elk to move freely.
This is the first such agreement of its kind, though Colorado’s Cattleman’s Agricultural Land Trust has used similar methods to protect over 800,000 acres of grazing land for both cattle and wildlife.