Land Donated to Nature Conservancy

John Hendricks is a founder of the Discovery Channel and chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications Inc., as well as a member of the Nature Conservancy's board of governors. The Hendricks' Sky Mesa Ranch is located in Mesa County, CO, approximately five miles west of Grand Junction.

The property contains one of the highest quality grassland ranges on the Western Slope. It also provides watershed protection for three significant tributaries of the Dolores River.

North Cottonwood Canyon runs through the property with an exceptional cottonwood riparian riverside area. The area is filled with ponderosa pine and gamble's scrub oak with aspens are abundant in the higher elevations.

The land is adjacent to the Manti-La Sal National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands. The easement establishes a contiguous expanse of protected areas. The placement of this easement will provide for the protection of important ecological features and will prevent subdivision, commercial and industrial uses.

"The Nature Conservancy's goal is to protect and enhance the globally significant riparian habitat within the Dolores River watershed. The Hendricks' conservation easement is an important step in attaining conservation goals within the Colorado Plateau," says David Gann, the Conservancy's central west Colorado program manager.

John Hendricks and his wife Maureen became property owners in the mid-1990s. "We own several other properties in the area and are working with TNC, the Mesa County Land Trust, federal land management agencies and others to ensure this unspoiled and isolated wilderness will remain special for future generations," he says.

The Hendricks' goal is to work with conservation organizations, cattle ranchers and public and private agencies to develop creative approaches to maintaining grazing in healthy balance with riparian vegetation and wildlife conservation. In addition to preservation of land for its natural diversity, they also have a strong interest in preservation of the historic pioneer structures.

The Nature Conservancy is working on a detailed conservation action plan for the Colorado Plateau, an area that encompasses more than 48 million acres of land within portions of western Colorado, southeastern Utah, northern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, to ensure protection of the plants, animals and natural communities that make this area unique.