Cienega Ranch

Cienega Ranch once contained numerous wetlands surrounded by thousands of acres of native grasslands, as its name implies. (Cienega refers to springs that create a wet marshy area.) Ranchers in this valley next to the iconic Chiricahua Mountains pass on stories of how their parents went to swim and cool down in the wetlands of the ranch.

When the Cienega Ranch owner, Josiah Austin, acquired the lands that now make up the 33,000-acre ranch, there wasn’t much left of the cienegas except these fading memories. The ranch was cut with a network of steep, eroded gullies dotted with shrubs, and there wasn’t enough water or grass for the cattle and wildlife that rely on the land.

Since taking over the ranch, Austin has improved and restored its grasslands, established successful cattle ranching practices, and worked with Trust for Public Land to permanently conserve the ranch through conservation easements. His work includes improving wetlands health, managing herd size and livestock practices to increase grassland health, and reintroducing wildlife such as fish and frogs.

“I feel very strongly that the cattle operation should coexist with wildlife,” he says. “The cattle operation is important, but it’s just one aspect of my responsibility to this land.”

Austin’s work and collaborations prove that you can operate a working cattle ranch and preserve important lands simultaneously. The conservation easements arranged by TPL allow and encourage continued restoration and cattle operations at the ranch but prevent development and uses that are not consistent with protecting the habitat.

A critical partner, New Mexico Land Conservancy, is responsible for annual monitoring and enforcement to make sure that the conservation provisions of the easements are followed by future ranch owners. The Nature Conservancy in Arizona has also provided support and partnership, including analyzing conservation science and data to identify this landscape as critical for wildlife.

The benefits extend beyond saving Austin’s cattle operation. Cienega Ranch provides critical wildlife habitat for birds, bats, deer, and even the endangered jaguar in one of North America’s most biologically diverse corners.

The health of adjacent and nearby public lands also depends on keeping large ranches like Cienega Ranch intact. Any development of these grasslands would significantly disrupt the preservation of this ecologically and historically rich environment.

“The grassland in this valley where Cienega Ranch is located contains critical habitat for endangered wildlife, supports large working cattle ranches for America’s food supply, and provides substantial amounts of carbon storage to help mitigate climate change,” says Michael Patrick, senior project manager for Trust for Public Land. “This conservation victory means that Cienega’s rich ecosystem can flourish and thrive, cultivating healthy grasslands for years to come.”

On any given trip to Cienega Ranch, a visitor might see leopard frogs mating in a pond, researchers checking remote cameras where the endangered jaguar was photographed, or long-nosed bats feeding at hummingbird feeders outside the ranch house.

TPL continues to partner with Austin and imagine future improvements, such as a new rock gabion retaining wall in Wood Canyon and a wildlife project with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Cienega Ranch is truly a place where great collaborations happen and where TPL is proud to be a partner.