Running Creek Preserve - Colorado, Elbert County, Elbert

Historically, the property was used for cattle grazing and dry land wheat production. However, beginning in the early 1970s, the preserve was purchased by a non-profit organization which has maintained and administered the property for educational programs, observation and research. The current owners have focused on protecting and managing this unique strip of mixed grass along with the canyon area and head-waters of Running Creek.

In addition to the state and federal tax incentives for protecting this property from future development, the mixed-grass prairie and the ecological diversity of the canyon area of the head-waters of Running Creek, (which meanders north to the South Platte River from the southern Black Forest area), are just a few of the reasons the Running Creek Preserve is an excellent candidate for a conservation easement. Extensive data has been collected from the property, including everything from climate, geological history, vegetation, wildlife and among several artifacts, an extremely rare Folsom Projectile Point from the Folsom Bison hunters that inhabited the plains 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. These records are now archived at the University of Wyoming’s Heritage Center, and a complete listing of this data is available upon request.