Success! Final agreement signed creating Vail Bighorn Preserve

On September 30th, the Eagle Valley Land Trust, Town of Vail, and Eagle County signed the final document to permanently protect Vail's iconic bighorn perch and the 146.9 acres of critical winter habitat around it. That land is now, and will forever be, the Vail Bighorn Preserve!

Now this essential native bighorn habitat and crucial buffer for the Eagle's Nest Wilderness are protected forever. Land conservation projects of such magnitude take years of collaboration. This was possible because of a strong partnership between the Town of Vail, Eagle County, and the Eagle Valley Land Trust, along with the support of many others - including ESWA and its members - who helped bring the vision to life.

THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED US REACH SUCCESS!

Background: A south‐facing hillside in the east end of the Vail Valley has for millennia provided critical winter habitat for the sole remaining native herd of bighorn sheep in Eagle County, and perhaps the last truly native herd in Colorado. These iconic animals travel between this winter habitat and the Eagles Nest Wilderness. Vail Resorts had planned a high-density housing development on the bighorns’ habitat.

Learn more in this October 30 Vail Daily article