An easement keeps 18,484 acres of the Nottingham Ranch working

Susan Nottingham is keeping her family's ranch in production instead of opening it to development. Vail Daily reported that the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust closed a conservation easement on 18,484 acres, the largest in Eagle County Open Space history. The ranch sits around Burns, in Eagle and Routt counties, and includes elk habitat along with the working land.

The easement also covers senior water rights that date to the 1800s. An agreement like this limits subdivision while the family keeps ranching. It does not turn the property into a public park, and it does not mean the land is for sale. The trust's work is to keep agricultural acres in use.