Photo: Jim Steinberg

People Taking Care of Places
Speaker: Lynne Sherrod
File size: 330k
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Warren Ranch, Elk River Valley, Colorado
"My husband's and my philosophy is that none of us ever really own the land - we only hold it in our hands for a very brief time, and what we do with the land is our gift to the next generation. And some day, we'll be held accountable for what happens on this land." - Lynne Sherrod

Photo: Jim Steinberg

Lynne Sherrod and her husband, Del, both come from families with long histories of ranching in the area around Steamboat Springs in northwestern Colorado. For the past 19 years, they have raised cattle together on a 1,600-acre ranch straddling the Elk River that is also home to nesting sandhill cranes.

Lynne has been deeply involved in building a regional coalition of ranchers, conservationists, and other people in the community united by their concern over the rapid pace of subdivision and development of productive agricultural lands. Together they have made common cause to keep ranching families working the land while also conserving stream corridors, wildlife habitat, and majestic scenery. Lynne is now working statewide as executive director of the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust, the first land trust in the country run by and for ranchers.