Louis Bacon, Colorado Open Lands Announce 21,000-Acre Conservation Easement on Tercio and Red River Ranches in Southern Colorado

WESTON, Colo., June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Louis Bacon's Tercio Ranch Holdings LLC and Red River Ranch Holdings LLC today officially announced an agreement with Colorado Open Lands to place 21,000 acres of Tercio Ranch and Red River Ranch into perpetual conservation easements, which will create nearly 800,000 acres of publicly and privately connected lands stretching from southern Colorado to northern New Mexico. At the ceremony, Louis Bacon was represented by Peter Talty, Vice President of Belvedere Property Management LLC and Tercio Ranch Manager Charlie Womack. They were joined by Dan Pike, President of Colorado Open Lands, Mike King, Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Steve Guertin, Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the announcement.

Louis Bacon's Tercio Ranch Holdings LLC and Red River Ranch Holdings LLC have collectively owned the 21,000-acre Tercio Ranch since 1996.

"I am proud to place Tercio Red River into a conservation easement forever protecting this spectacular landscape with Colorado Open Lands, led by Dan Pike. They are to be applauded for their outstanding commitment to land conservation in Colorado. I also want to thank and congratulate the many local landowners whose conservation commitment protects this immense and critical corridor."

"We are grateful to Louis Bacon as today's announcement fills a critical gap between privately and publicly connected lands in this landscape of unparalleled beauty," said Dan Pike President of Colorado Open Lands. "We are excited to once again work with Mr. Bacon and his team to protect an important property, and honored to be a part of this incredible connection of public and private lands that will be protected for generations to come."

This announcement builds on recent conservation successes in southern Colorado, and will help knit together approximately 800,000 acres of pristine wilderness, adding to a protected landscape that stretches from Great Sand Dunes National Park to Vermejo Ranch in northern New Mexico.

A lifelong champion of conservation and philanthropist through his Moore Charitable Foundation, Mr. Bacon's recent efforts include landscape-scale conservation in southern Colorado. In 2012, Mr. Bacon partnered with Colorado Open Lands and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to form a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership that placed one of the largest conservation easements ever held by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on the 170,000-acre Trinchera Blanca Ranch, helping to establish the Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area.

In January, Mr. Bacon received the prestigious Audubon Medal for his lifelong commitment to conservation and was recently named one of the world's greenest billionaires by Forbes Magazine.

Mr. Bacon's Tercio Foundation, an affiliate of the Moore Charitable Foundation, has been a proud partner in the local community, providing support for local non-profit organizations, community activities and educational opportunities since 1996.

Contact:
Cody Wertz
303-518-2112
[email protected]

SOURCE Tercio Ranch Holdings LLC and Red River Ranch Holdings LLC