Western Land Group, Inc. 

Public Lands Specialists

For Immediate Release                                  Contact:  Susan McCannon

Land Board Announces Model Land Exchange with BLM and Private Ranchers
$4.7 Million Land Exchange Provides Benefits for Public, Private Entities

Denver – The Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners today announced the closing of a $4.7 million three-way land exchange in Northwestern Colorado.  The land exchange was developed through a cooperative process involving the State Land Board (SLB), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and sixteen private landowners in Grand, Eagle, Routt and Jackson counties.

Through this land exchange, the SLB acquired 520 acres of BLM land inholdings valued at $490,000, as well as $4.2 million to buy future replacement properties for the benefit of the School Trust.  This exchange, facilitated by the Western Land Group, a Denver-based private consulting firm specializing in public land real estate transactions, culminates a three-year effort by the SLB and BLM to consolidate state and federal land parcels, while providing private citizens the opportunity to acquire isolated parcels of federal land lying in the middle of their private ranches.

"This is an excellent land exchange that serves the schoolchildren of Colorado, the BLM, and private land owners,” said Chris Castilian, SLB Director. “The Colorado Land Board and the BLM worked hard over several years to complete this exchange, and the results will benefit the public long into the future.”

This land exchange involved 48 parcels and 4,783 acres of BLM land located in Grand, Eagle, Routt and Jackson counties.  The SLB conveyed 1,022.78 acres of isolated School Trust property land in the middle of BLM holdings and acquired four BLM parcels, totaling 520 acres, that are inholdings of the 17,000- acre Milk Creek Ranch all in Grand County.  In doing this, the SLB is better able to maximize the land value in the Milk Creek Ranch, which in turn will produce more revenue for the School Trust.

The remaining 44 parcels of BLM land were conveyed to the surrounding or adjacent private landowners.  Only ten of the 48 federal parcels are accessible to

Making these lands available for conveyance to the private landowners enabled the BLM to acquire SLB holdings that resulted in better public access to existing BLM holdings. The exchange results in federal acquisition of critical deer and elk winter range, a net gain of wetlands and riparian habitat, and a net increase of 1,900 acres of land accessible for hunting and other recreation.

This three-way land exchange model developed by Western Land Group was conducted over the course of the last two years with input from the private sector, local governments as well as through public comment.  Both the SLB and BLM obtained independent appraisals on all parcels as well as all necessary cultural, biological, hazardous materials, and other studies needed to provide information about the exchange. 

 “We’re really pleased with the partnership of private citizens, and federal and state government entities,” said Castilian.  “This is an excellent model for ensuring our land and natural resources are put to their best possible uses and everyone’s needs are met.  This is truly an example of how the SLB is protecting Colorado’s precious natural resources in order to provide a long-term commitment to funding public education.”

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The Colorado State Land Board manages three million acres of surface land and four million acres of mineral rights given to Colorado at statehood by the federal government.  These lands are managed to benefit eight trusts.  Income from the largest trust goes to support
public education.