Land Board Acquires 7,000 acre property in Routt County

[CO State Land Board]

View this email in your browser November 2023 IN THIS ISSUE  Recent land acquisitions and dispositions $301.8 million earned in fiscal year 2023 Survey about doing business with the State Land Board Free holistic grazing seminars for ranchers  Petroglyph rock discovered on trust land property Cost-sharing to mitigate noxious weeds LAND BOARD ACQUIRES 7,300 ACRE WILLIAMS PARK RANCH The Land Board occasionally buys properties, and rarely sells properties. This fall the State Land Board closed on the acquisition of Williams Park, formerly part of the Upper Cross Mountain Ranch. This ~7,300 acre ranch, pictured right, will be competitively leased for grazing and private recreation.  Trust land properties are only sold when it's clear that the reinvestment of the proceeds can provide a greater benefit to the trusts. Recently, our Commissioners approved a large-scale disposal initiative that affects approximately 75,000 acres of trust land adjacent or near military installations. We anticipate the disposals will be primarily funded by the Department of Defense's Readiness and Environmental Protections Integration (REPI) program. REPI is a voluntary program where conservation, working lands, and national defense interests converge. This fall the Trust for Public Lands acquired 11,900 acres of trust land at the Bohart Ranch in El Paso County. The transaction was facilitated by REPI funds. The property will remain in agriculture production.  Read more about why and when our agency acquires or disposes of trust land. STATE LAND BOARD GENERATED $301.8 MILLION IN FY 2023 In fiscal year 2023, the State Land Board generated $301.8 million on behalf of Colorado public schools. We've earned more than $1 billion in the past five years. These figures set new records in our 147 year history. Read our annual report. Our agency oversees working trust land, and we are responsible for stewarding the land while generating revenue from it. The rent collected from customers who lease trust land flows to schools.  The State Land Board is the primary funding source for the Department of Education's Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program, which provides competitive grants to school districts for the construction of new schools as well as general construction and renovation of existing school facility systems and structures. Every school district in rural Colorado has been awarded a BEST grant. Learn more about BEST. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Thank you for doing business with the State Land Board. We invite all customers to take an anonymous 10-minute survey. We will use your feedback to improve the administrative services we offer you. The survey will remain open through February 2024.  Complete the survey. AG OPERATORS INVITED TO GRAZING SEMINAR FEATURING BURKE TEICHERT The State Land Board hosts annual agriculture forums for our customers at no charge. National expert Burke Teichert will facilitate day-long seminars in January 2024. He’ll answer your questions and provide actionable insights into how you can reduce costs and increase profit from your cattle ranching operations by using multi-paddock grazing. We're offering the same seminar at two different locations. Register now. Wednesday, January 24, 2024 9am — 3pm (Breakfast served at 8:30 am)                                             Ft. Morgan Community College in Ft. Morgan Thursday, January 25, 2024 9am — 3pm (Breakfast served at 8:30 am) 8:30 am -3 pm Otero Junior College in La Junta Register now! PETROGLYPH ROCK DISCOVERED ON TRUST LAND Responsible management of cultural resources located on state trust land is an important component of the State Land Board’s stewardship work. The State Land Board works closely with History Colorado and the Office of the State Archaeologist to understand and appropriately manage indigenous American, Euro American, and paleontological resources, such as the rock picture below, located in southern Colorado on a state trust land property.  A petroglyph is an image carved, incised, or scratched into stone. The petroglyphs on this rock are estimated to be 1,800 to 3,000 years old. Be mindful: a great deal of historic cultural information can be lost in a few thoughtless moments when people add graffiti or deform historic artifacts. The State Land Board doesn’t disclose the location of artifacts, such as this petroglyph rock, to protect them from  deformation.  HELP US MITIGATE NOXOUS WEEDS ON TRUST LAND Weed Free Forage Program The Weed Free Forage program at the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) inspects forage or mulch before it is harvested to ensure there are no noxious weeds. Our goal is to reduce the spread of weeds on public land or other areas where forage or mulch is used. The Weed Free Forage Directory is an interactive tool with filters to search for producers by city, forage type, and/or bale size. It also has a map to easily find producers in your area.  The State Land Board partners with lessees to manage noxious weeds on trust lands. We follow the CDA’s noxious weed list that puts weeds into management categories. Contact your district manager if you have questions about, or need support in, managing noxious weeds. We may be able to offer weed mitigation cost-sharing.   Get more info about weed mitigation cost-sharing. HELPFUL LINKS Use our maps to look up land View your account online Contact us with questions/comments Join us at board meetings and/or read the meeting minutes Copyright © 2023 Colorado State Land Board. You are receiving this email because you are affiliated with the Colorado State Land Board. Our mailing address is: Colorado State Land Board 1127 Sherman Street Denver, CO 80203 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.