Date:
5/19/2009 12:00:00 AM
Title:
Leopold Conservation Award to be Presented to Mesa de Maya Ranch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Bader, 303-431-6422, amy@coloradocattle.org
Leopold Conservation Award to be presented to Mesa de Maya Ranch
ARVADA, Colo. – May 18, 2009 – The Wisconsin-based conservation organization Sand County Foundation, in partnership with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust and EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., is proud to name John & Carolyn Doherty’s Mesa de Maya Ranch as the winner of the 2009 Leopold Conservation Award in Colorado.
“The Doherty Family is living proof that the land ethic, championed by Aldo Leopold, can be embraced generation after generation,” said Dr. Brent Haglund, Sand County Foundation President. “It is exceptional that three generations of Dohertys are working together to ensure that the land, water, and wildlife on the ranch are managed sustainably.”
The Dohertys have utilized several conservation initiatives on their ranch. They effectively manage water distribution through the installation of approximately 25 miles of pipeline that ties several watering facilities together, providing clean sources of water for livestock and wildlife. They also developed two erosion control dams/ponds that provide additional water. Brush control is used to improve the ranch’s grassland. The family has removed woody invasive species such as juniper, pinion, and tamarisk from over 150 acres of the Mesa de Maya.
Their water and brush management techniques have created outstanding habitat for numerous wildlife species, including Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, pronghorn, black bear, bighorn sheep, cougar, bobcat, red tail hawk, golden eagle, and prairie rattlesnakes.
The Dohertys like to take their commitment to conservation beyond the ranch’s borders. Mr. Doherty is dedicated to continued education and civic engagement. He has been a Soil Conservation District Supervisor and a member of the Branson-Trinchera Conservation District for 40 years, helping to guide conservation efforts in eastern Las Animas County. He has provided his ranch for use as a demonstration site for new conservation methods and technologies and has been a leader in forming a prescribed burning cooperative. This will allow ranchers in the region to manage densities of juniper to improve watershed function, decrease erosion and improve vegetation and forage for livestock and wildlife.
For more information, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org, or contact Amy Bader, amy@coloradocattle.org.
ABOUT SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION
Sand County Foundation is a private, non-profit conservation group dedicated to working with private landowners to improve habitat on their land. Sand County’s mission is to advance the use of ethical and scientifically sound land management practices and partnerships for the benefit of people and their rural landscapes. Sand County Foundation works with private landowners because the majority of the nation’s fish, wildlife, and natural resources are found on private lands. The organization backs local champions, invests in civil society and places incentives before regulation to create solutions that ensure and grow. The organization encourages the exercise of private responsibility in the pursuit of improved land health as an essential alternative to many of the commonly used strategies in modern conservation. www.sandcounty.net
ABOUT THE LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD
The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. The award consists of an Aldo Leopold crystal and a check for $10,000. In 2009, Sand County Foundation will present Leopold Conservation Awards in Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Utah and California.
The awards are presented to accomplish three objectives: First, they recognize extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation on the land of exemplary private landowners. Second, they inspire countless other landowners in their own communities through these examples. Finally, they provide a visible forum where leaders from the agriculture community are recognized as conservation leaders to groups outside of agriculture. www.leopoldconservationaward.org
ABOUT COLORADO CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is the state’s only nonprofit trade organization exclusively representing Colorado’s beef producers. Founded in 1867, CCA is the nation’s oldest state cattlemen’s association. CCA serves its members by speaking out on behalf of Colorado’s more than 12,000 beef producers. www.coloradocattle.org
ABOUT COLORADO CATTLEMEN’S AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST
Recognizing the need to help Colorado ranchers and farmers protect their agricultural lands in the face of growing development and economic pressures, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association in 1995 formed the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT). www.ccalt.org/
ABOUT ENCANA OIL & GAS (USA) INC.
EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. is a leading North American energy company that produces approximately 4.4 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent per day. More than 80 percent of which is natural gas. The organization strives to be a trusted community contributor and is committed to benchmark practices in safety and environmental stewardship, ethical business conduct, and community responsibility. www.encana.com
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