Open space gets $10 million boost

The effort to preserve as open space 21,000 acres along Interstate 25 north of Monument got a $10 million boost Wednesday.

Half of the $20 million funding gap will be paid from Douglas County's open space fund, which comes from a nearly 2-cents-on-the- dollar sales tax and generates about $6 million a year, said Douglas County Commissioner Jim Sullivan.

"Ten million: It's a huge number, but thank God that's what the sales tax - and the ability to bond it out - (can) generate for us," Sullivan said.

Open space advocates are scrambling to raise the rest.

Preserving the historic Greenland Ranch, which is just over the crest of Monument Hill, is seen as a way to create a permanent buffer between the sprawl marching south from metro Denver and north from Colorado Springs. Open space advocates and public officials have dreamed of doing it for 20 years.

The Conservation Fund said Tuesday it has the property under contract with the seller, the Oklahoma Publishing Co., which also owns The Broadmoor resort.

According to the terms of the deal, The Conservation Fund must have the $20 million in hand by mid-July, when the deal is scheduled to close.

And while that sounds like a major hurdle, the vice president of a national conservation group said Wednesday she is "very confident" it can be done.

Sydney Macy of the Arlington, Va.-based Conservation Fund, which negotiated the agreement to preserve the ranch, said Wednesday her group should be able to pull together a combination of funds to match the money from Douglas County.

The likely sources: the state lottery and private foundations, as well as the Conservation Fund's own financing mechanisms.

"The power of this property will bring everyone to the table," Macy said.

The biggest remaining question is how much money will be provided by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), which distributes state lottery money for open space, parks and recreation projects.

Will Shafroth, GOCO's executive director, wouldn't make any guarantees. He said preserving the Greenland Ranch would be discussed among GOCO's 15-member board at an April 13 meeting.

He acknowledged, though, the project has long been a priority for GOCO. In 1996, it was identified by the organization as a "legacy" project, one of 16 high-profile, highly significant preservation projects across Colorado.

"I can't say the project has become any less important," Shafroth said. "The difficult challenge for GOCO has been and always will be that we have a lot more requests (for projects to fund) than we have the ability to do."

Still, considering the visibility of the Greenland Ranch, it would be a surprise if GOCO didn't pitch in to some degree. It could also end up pledging chunks of money over time.

That would probably work for The Conservation Fund, which has its own revolving account that provides short-term cash that can be repaid with longer-term payouts from organizations such as GOCO.

In addition, the Conservation Fund is adept at hitting up private foundations. And a project of this magnitude, Macy said, is not a hard sell.

- Edited by Bill Vogrin. Headline by Ron Dawson

Preserving Greenland Ranch

ABOUT THE RANCH

It is the oldest operating cattle ranch on the Front Range, dating to the 1880s, according to The Conservation Fund.

The land - rolling grasslands, buttes and mesas - was chronicled by explorers Stephen Long, John C. Fremont and William Henry Jackson in the 1800s.

WHY SAVE IT?

Wildlife abounds, including bighorn sheep and elk east of Interstate 25. Deer, antelope, bears, mountain lions and bobcats have been seen on the property.

The ranch also is home to the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, listed as a threatened species by the federal government.

Property west of I-25 would likely become public open space, administered by Douglas County, and likely connected to a trail system running through El Paso County.

ABOUT THE SELLER

The ranch currently is owned by Sun Resources, a subsidiary of The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Sun purchased the property in a series of acquisitions between 1980 and 1985.

Oklahoma Publishing also owns The Broadmoor resort and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The company plans to reinvest proceeds from the sale of The Broadmoor, said company chairman Edward Gaylord.

WILL THE SALE PREVENT SPRAWL?

Certainly along the I-25 corridor. But construction will likely move east, perhaps creating a "sprawl" corridor along Colorado 83 connecting Douglas and El Paso counties farther east.

"The preservation ... of the Greenland Ranch will simply make this area that much more attractive," said Steve Schuck, chairman of The Schuck Corp. of Colorado Springs, which has developments in northern El Paso County and Douglas County.

What's next

The 15-member board of Great Outdoors Colorado - the organization that distributes state lottery proceeds for open space projects - is scheduled to meet April 13 in Castle Rock to discuss whether and how much to pledge for the project.

The Douglas County commission is tentatively scheduled to meet the same day to confirm its preliminary approval of a $10 million grant from its open space fund for the project.

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