The future of birding at Chico Basin Ranch, El Paso/Pueblo Counties

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Fellow birders,

The future of birding at Chico Basin Ranch remains unclear.

The State Land Board staff (SLB) announced, in their November board packet, that public access to Chico Basin Ranch would not be allowed once the current lease expires in 2024.

With that in mind, the commissioners voted last week to allow Aiken Audubon and/or other organizations to hold (purchase) a "layered lease" on Chico, which would offer access to birders on specific dates. The cost would be negotiated, and liability insurance would be required. Current leases on another SLB-owned ranch, with only 3 or 4 annual visits, range from $2500 to $5000.

Bird-banding would require a separate lease, though the SLB may not charge for that lease as it provides scientific data. The Phillips family (lessee) currently pays the annual $7200 banding fee to Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, which would need to be covered by other organizations in the future.

Aiken Audubon is looking into the possibility of holding a layered lease. While the cost and logistical challenges of such a lease are still unknown, we are cautiously optimistic that, with partners, birding can continue on the ranch.

Discussions on whether Chico will be divided into separate parcels or kept intact will begin in January. Aiken will once again be asking birders to come out in numbers to comment in favor of keeping the ranch as one parcel, with one manager. We believe this would best protect the ranch’s conservation values as well as limit habitat fragmentation, one of wildlife’s greatest concerns.

Linda Hodges                                                                                                                Conservation Chair                                                                                                                          Aiken Audubon Society