Project Details
Area: NORTHEAST
Size: 2 phases: 10,665 total (4,560-acre CE completed Dec. 2018; 6,105-acre CE completed Aug. 2019)
Location: Colfax County
Eco-Region: Upper Canadian Plateau of the Southwestern Tablelands Eco level III
Conservation Values: Agriculture, Scenic Open Space, Wildlife Habitat, Cultural/historical
Type of Project: Donated Conservation Easement
Date Completed: August 2019.
Taylor Springs Ranch
Taylor Springs Ranch―
Continuing the Conservation Momentum in the Northeast
If it worked well before, why not do it again!
Landowner rancher Greg Moore has worked with NMLC over the years to place his entire 23,000 deeded-acre Wagon Mound Ranch in northeast New Mexico under conservation easement, and in December 2018, NMLC completed the first of two easement phases on Greg’s second property, Taylor Springs Ranch, located near Springer, NM. The second phase was completed in August 2019.
Taylor Springs Ranch has earned the designation of “Grasslands of Special Environmental Significance” (GSS) by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and now contributes 10,665 conserved acres to help keep this important shortgrass prairie and watershed region intact and free from development.
Greg Moore, whose ties to the land go back to the 1970s, shows a deep commitment to the preservation of ranching in New Mexico, and the corresponding stewardship of the land and water resources under his care.
Greg sees the private and public benefits of conservation easements. They have been a key component in his succession planning as a way to reduce the estate tax liability for his children so they can keep the ranch upon his death. He also appreciates the role easements play in helping protect the substantial investment of time and dollars in restoration work and good land management practices he has implemented on his properties throughout the years.
Greg is also keenly aware of the important role that his private land conservation plays in the greater shortgrass prairie landscape. More than 30 waterbodies, for example – including a critical regional playa being restored to its key function as a recharge basin – are distributed across the Taylor Springs Ranch, providing important stop-over and wintering habitats and rich feeding areas for breeding waterfowl, among their many other benefits.
Taylor Spring Ranch is located just 15 miles south and east of CS Ranch, which also completed its first conservation easement in 2018, and represents an important continuation of the efforts in the northeast to build on the momentum that NMLC and its partners have created to conserve prime grassland for ranching, wildlife and species recovery.