312 acres of CMC Spring Valley campus proposed for conservation easement

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. – Following nearly a year of evaluation and discussion, Colorado Mountain College trustees voted on Dec. 16, 2025 to move forward with transferring 312 acres of the Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs campus to the CMC Foundation, the college’s 501(c)(3) partner.

The Spring Valley campus was established in 1966 on 811 acres donated by 11 local ranching families who sought to bring higher education to the Roaring Fork Valley. The CMC Foundation Board of Directors voted to accept the land during a Dec. 17 meeting and further resolved to initiate a conservation easement on the property.

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization that permanently limits certain types of development to protect conservation values such as wildlife habitat, open space, public trails and scenic features. The CMC Foundation will continue to own the land, which may continue to be used, transferred or sold, with the assurance that its conservation values are protected in perpetuity.

Under the proposed easement, CMC would retain the ability to use the land — which includes the veterinary technology facility — for educational purposes, including student housing. In return for a conservation easement, tax credits are typically provided based on the conserved value of the property, which could be applied to future investments.

With these actions by the joint boards, the CMC Foundation will begin work to finalize the conservation easement in partnership with Aspen Valley Land Trust.