update March 12, 2024:
Collard Ranch and 5 miles of pristine trout stream will become a state wildlife area for $8.25 million - reports the Colorado Sun.
Courtesy of Western Rivers Conservancy
South Platte River, Colorado
Just southwest of Denver, the headwaters of the South Platte River come together in the rolling grasslands of South Park, a broad basin surrounded by the high mountain peaks of the Front Range. The South Platte River is the biological and scenic centerpiece of South Park, which was designated a National Heritage Area in 2009 for its rich history and diverse natural landscapes. Here, Western Rivers Conservancy has launched an effort to preserve the 1,860-acre Collard Ranch, which includes five miles of Tarryall Creek, one of the South Platte River’s principal tributaries.
Collard Ranch is part of a major migration corridor for thousands of Rocky Mountain elk, which use the property as their primary route from the high peaks of the Rockies down to the grasslands below during their annual north-south migration into and across South Park. Mule deer and pronghorn frequently move through the basin as well.
Tarryall Creek flows off the 13,823-foot Mount Silverheels before meandering through Collard Ranch. Its banks are a mix of open grass and willow cover, providing excellent habitat for healthy, wild populations of brown and rainbow trout. Beaver ponds line the creek on the ranch, which is a rarity on Colorado’s valley floors. These wetlands attract a rich variety of bird life and are prime spawning habitat for fish.
The South Park basin is home to the world’s last remaining “extreme rich fens,” a type of wetland that has been damaged by human development almost everywhere else on Earth. These wetlands attract diverse bird life to the property, including the imperiled Lewis’s woodpecker and mountain plover.
Located just 60 miles from Denver, South Park is one of the primary recreation destinations for hikers, anglers and hunters from Colorado’s capital. Protection of Collard Ranch will add over five miles of fishing access along both banks of this outstanding trout stream while helping to establish more uniform recreation management along Tarryall Creek. This outcome would be a significant conservation accomplishment within an hour and a half drive from most of the population of Colorado.
WRC has signed an agreement to purchase the ranch. We will buy and hold the property while working to secure funding to protect it forever. Our hope is to convey the property to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which would manage it for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people forever.