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Leopold Conservation Award - Colorado
Leopold Conservation Award presented to Mesa de Maya Ranch
 Sand County Foundation, in partnership with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust and EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., proudly presented its Leopold Conservation Award in Colorado to John & Carolyn Doherty’s Mesa de Maya Ranch.
“The Doherty Family is living proof that the land ethic, championed by Aldo Leopold, can be embraced generation after generation,” said Dr. Brent Haglund, Sand County Foundation President. “It is exceptional that three generations of Dohertys are working together to ensure that the land, water, and wildlife on the ranch are managed sustainably.”
The Dohertys have utilized several conservation initiatives on their ranch. They effectively manage water distribution through the installation of approximately 25 miles of pipeline that ties several watering facilities together, providing clean sources of water for livestock and wildlife. They also developed two erosion control dams/ponds that provide additional water. Brush control is used to improve the ranch’s grassland. The family has removed woody invasive species such as juniper, pinion, and tamarisk from over 150 acres of the Mesa de Maya.
Their water and brush management techniques have created outstanding habitat for numerous wildlife species, including Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, pronghorn, black bear, bighorn sheep, cougar, bobcat, red tail hawk, golden eagle, and prairie rattlesnakes. Read more ...
Read about past winners of the Leopold Conservation Award in Colorado
COLORADO PARTNERS:
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION
 Sand County Foundation is a private, non-profit conservation group dedicated to working with private landowners to improve habitat on their land. Sand County’s mission is to advance the use of ethical and scientifically sound land management practices and partnerships for the benefit of people and their rural landscapes. Sand County Foundation works with private landowners because the majority of the nation’s fish, wildlife, and natural resources are found on private lands. The organization backs local champions, invests in civil society and places incentives before regulation to create solutions that ensure and grow. The organization encourages the exercise of private responsibility in the pursuit of improved land health as an essential alternative to many of the commonly used strategies in modern conservation.
COLORADO CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION
 The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is the state’s only nonprofit trade organization exclusively representing Colorado’s beef producers. Founded in 1867, CCA is the nation’s oldest state cattlemen’s association. CCA serves its members by speaking out on behalf of Colorado’s more than 12,000 beef producers.
 EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. is a leading North American energy company that produces approximately 4.4 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent per day. More than 80 percent of which is natural gas. The organization strives to be a trusted community contributor and is committed to benchmark practices in safety and environmental stewardship, ethical business conduct, and community responsibility.
COLORADO SPONSORS:
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