Gilpin Grasslands field trip
By Barry Brandow
There will be a field trip July 2nd on Nature Trust’s 475 acres which is located at the west end of the Gilpin Grasslands. The land was purchased in 1973 and complimented the 1470 acre Boothman Ranch purchase August 1972. Both purchases were driven by the importance of the south facing slopes to wintering deer.
The management of both of Nature Trust’s district lots has been dominated by the cow in spite of the fact that Nature Trust signed a 99 year lease with the Fish & Wildlife Branch in 1974 a year after the land was purchased which stipulated “that the lessee at all times during the terms of the lease maintain and preserve in good order and condition the grounds of the said premises.”
The question is how do we mitigate the extensive damage by the cow on Nature Trust property? It is private property and range staff and the rancher have never respected the lease agreement since the land purchase in 1973.
I am going to send you six pictures of a small marsh just north of the Nature Trust property in the Overton Creek watershed.
If you are interested in attending the field trip July 2nd we are going to meet at the donut restaurant (Happy Days) located adjacent to the bridge the east side of town at 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. at the junction of the Overton/Morrissey Creek roads the second left after crossing the bridge.
