Easement in works for Trampe Ranch

Preserving ranchland from Gothic to Gunnison

What would be one of the largest and most significant land conservation projects in the county is in the initial stages of a potential deal. More than 6,000 acres of Trampe Ranch land from Gothic to Gunnison could fall under a conservation easement that would prohibit any more building on the property and keep high-profile open space free of development and in the ranching business.
Rancher Bill Trampe is working with long time open space preservation advocate Susan Lohr and the Trust for Public Land to preserve the iconic property.

Trampe, the grandson of the original rancher who started the family enterprise with 160 acres in 1901, has been a consistent advocate of protecting open space in the county and was a founder, along with Lohr, of the Gunnison Ranchland Conservation Legacy organization in 1995.
The property that would be protected includes land adjacent to the Gothic townsite, acreage along the East River behind Crested Butte Mountain, land near Ferris Creek, open meadows along Highway 135, and ranchland north of the outskirts of Gunnison.
Lohr is beginning the process of raising the funds needed to secure the easement. She is working with Justin Spring of the Trust for Public Land. He has helped facilitate many protected land purchases in the northern end of the valley. Lohr and Spring have approached the town of Crested Butte for open space money and will be submitting a grant application to Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) along with other open space advocacy groups. Lohr also said she is counting on raising significant contributions from the private sector.
Knowing such a transaction will take some time, Lohr is hoping that the easement can be completed by December of 2016.