Agreement To Protect 11,000 Acre Ranch (WY)

WYOMING, 6/6/02: The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation organization, today announced that it has signed an agreement with the owners of the 11,000-acre Devil’s Canyon ranch in north-central Wyoming which will allow for preservation of the scenic Little Mountain area’s spectacular natural and historic features.

The purchase, which will depend on public funding and private contributions, was announced in conjunction with Senator Craig Thomas, (R-WY). The land will eventually be conveyed to the Bureau of Land Management, said Alan Front, senior vice president of TPL.

“Our goal is to conserve land for people to improve their quality of life and to protect our natural and historic resources for future generations. The Devil’s Canyon is an excellent example of that mission,” said Front. “This is a nationally significant opportunity to secure and enhance public access to one of Wyoming’s most spectacular recreational treasures, conserve habitat for big game animals, and protect some of the state’s most awesome scenery.

Senator Thomas said, “The Trust for Public Land, working closely with the Big Horn County Commissioners, have helped develop a positive plan for protecting and enhancing access to one of the most significant parcels of land in the area. Not only will this acquisition be good for Devil’s Canyon, it will also solve a dispute that has kept the sporting public from accessing thousands of acres of adjacent federal properties.”

The property, located about 20 miles northeast of Lovell, is on the western slope of the Big Horn Mountains and is entirely surrounded by public lands, including the Big Horn National Forest, the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, and the Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area.

The Trust for Public Land, established in 1972, specializes in conservation real estate, applying its expertise in negotiations, public finance, and law, to protect land for people to enjoy as parks, greenways, community gardens, urban playgrounds, and wilderness. Across the nation, TPL has helped protect more than 1.4 million acres.