Bar Bar E Ranch
736 acres put into a
conservation easement with
the Jackson Hole Land Trust
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736 acres conserved in Upper Green River Valley
by Jackson Hole Land Trust
January 5, 2021
The Jackson Hole Land Trust (JHLT) announced that 736 acres in the Upper Green River Valley have been protected through a new conservation easement on the Bar Bar E Ranch, now held by the JHLT’s Green River Valley Program. Protected in perpetuity on December 29, 2020, Bar Bar E Ranch II is contiguous to 873 acres that the landowners placed under a conservation easement in 2007. The additional acreage conserved will safeguard historic working lands and open space and support valuable big game and aquatic habitat.
The family of Bar Bar E Ranch has deep roots in the community of the Upper Green. The conservation property is part of a Wyoming Centennial Ranch, an honor reserved for families who have owned and operated their land for more than 100 years. They are also a founding family of the Upper Green River Cattle Association that move their herd along the Green River Drift, one of the oldest and longest cattle drives in the country.
The new conservation easement ensures that the land will support continued agricultural use, including grazing and hay production, which in turn will help the culture and tradition of ranching continue to thrive in Sublette County.
"We are thrilled to partner once again with the family of Bar Bar E Ranch," said JHLT Director of Conservation Liz Long. "It is incredible to see the result of careful stewardship on this now-historic homestead over three generations of living and working on the land. The Green River Valley Program of the JHLT is proud to play a role in ensuring the ranch will be a boon to the community and Wyoming wildlife for generations to come."
The New Fork River and Willow Creek flow through the property, creating lush, resource-rich areas critical to sustaining resilient wildlife populations across the arid, sagebrush-dominated landscape that covers much of Sublette County. The property’s diverse topography, vibrant riparian areas and wetlands, and connectivity to vast swaths of adjacent open lands provide important resources for Wyoming’s native migratory big game species and is used by both pronghorn and moose on their seasonal migrations. Bar Bar E Ranch II supports native species of raptors and waterfowl and lies entirely within the Daniel Sage-Grouse Core Area, with multiple active leks nearby. Protection of Bar Bar E Ranch II ensures continuity between the Wind River Mountains, Willow and New Fork Lakes, and the New Fork River.
Funding from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, and an anonymous donor through The Conservation Fund helped secure the Bar Bar E Ranch II conservation easement. In addition to the public funding, the landowners generously donated a portion of the easement’s value.
"The Conservation Fund is pleased to have secured and contributed funds that assist the landowning family, the JHLT, and our federal and state funding partners to complete this easement," said Dan Schlager, The Conservation Fund’s Wyoming state director. "This effort will honor the agricultural traditions of Sublette County and protect its unique and vibrant wildlife resources, both essential components of Wyoming’s economy."
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