Protected Lands

Palmer Land Trust’s service area encompasses over ten million acres of land in El Paso, Teller, Pueblo, Crowley, Otero, Las Animas, Huerfano, Custer and Fremont counties.  Approximately a quarter of the land in the area is in public ownership.  Nearly 400,000 acres of land are protected through conservation measures, with the Palmer Land Trust having protected nearly 70,000 of these acres.  Lands in the service area face a variety of conservation threats including rapid population growth, competing water and resource interests, extraction activities, and shifting economic trends that affect agricultural activities.

Palmer works with private landowners and public entities to ensure that southeastern Colorado's most sensitive lands remain intact for current and future generations to enjoy.  The conservation easement is the primary tool that the organization uses to protect properties.  Palmer Land Trust also, in rare instances, obtains ownership of properties to safeguard them.