Mountain Area Land Trust - MALT

You’ve likely driven by, hiked or biked a few spaces Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT) has helped to protect. For the past three decades, MALT has successfully worked with private landowners and public agencies to conserve land, water, wildlife and our Colorado way of life. MALT has conserved nearly 27,000 acres of land and water across Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Park, Gilpin and Teller counties. 

MALT’s programs include: 

• Land and Water Conservation: MALT guides private landowners through the voluntary Conservation Easement process, providing them the ability toDendrochronology Workshop for Youth and Adults permanently protect their land, retain full ownership while also leaving a lasting legacy. In addition, MALT collaborates with various municipalities, agencies and nonprofit organizations to protect open space that allow for public recreation opportunities. 
• Stewardship: MALT stewards nearly 100 conserved properties every year, which involves visiting conserved land to ensure the terms of the deed of conservation are being upheld. 
• Education & Outreach: MALT hosts educational workshops, classes, and hikes for youth and adults throughout the year, that empower community members to connect with nature, wildlife, land, and water. 

MALT is an accredited land trust, which means the organization abides by the highest national standards for conservation.

Key Public Projects MALT has helped to conserve include:

• Noble Meadow | This area is part of Elk Meadow Open Space Park now managed by Jefferson County Open Space in Evergreen, Colorado. It is a favorite elk grazing and calving area that is a focal point for the mountain community and an iconic Evergreen landmark. Noble Meadow was MALT’s first successful conservation project in 1992, launching the organization’s formal establishment as a regional land trust.  Beaver Brook Watershed
• Beaver Brook Watershed | Beaver Brook Watershed lies roughly four miles west of Bergen Park along Mestaa’Ėhehe Pass/Highway 103 in Evergreen, Colorado. This 5,700-acre ecosystem serves as an important water supply, wildlife refuge, and is one of the last remaining intact, low-elevation, forested ecosystems along the Front Range. Through a multi-faceted approach, MALT facilitated an option to purchase Beaver Brook Watershed with the United States Forest Service (USFS),Clear Creek County, and other funding agencies. 
• Floyd Hill Open Space | MALT facilitated a major land purchase and permanently conserved a 108-acre parcel of land on Floyd Hill Open Space – a highly visible meadow and forested area north of I-70 located in Clear Creek County that provides refuge to wildlife, encompassing miles of hiking and biking trails for public recreation.Bighorn Sheep Near Georgetown
• PALS Family State Wildlife Area | MALT helped to conserve a 123-acre property located outside the Town of Empire in Clear Creek County. The area is home to a herd of Bighorn sheep, which has been present in the area since historians began documenting the area. The bighorn sheep corridor that crosses the property is vital to maintaining the genetic health of the herd, connecting the adjacent Georgetown State Wildlife Area to the Sheep Keep Open Space owned by Clear Creek County. Through an acquisition, the property is now owned and managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). 

Key Areas Owned and Managed by MALT with Public Access

• Sacramento Creek Ranch | This 71-acre property consists of forest and wetlands, ranch house, greenhouse, barn, yurt and two nature trails open from dawnBirding Workshop to dusk. Located in Fairplay, Colorado (Park County), MALT uses this area as a base of operations for its land and water conservation work, educational programming, high alpine scientific research, and welcomes the public to hike on the trails.
• Pennsylvania Mountain Natural Area | This 500+acre area and is below the 13,000 peak. It is surrounded on three sides by public land near Fairplay, Colorado. MALT owns and manages 92-acres, which ensures that over 46+ years of continuous high altitude scientific research continues, and protects an area recognized by the Colorado National Heritage Program as having unique and highly significant conservation values. A single track hiking trail (the Pika Trail) is also open to the public.
• Floyd Hill Meadow | This 18-acre parcel on Floyd Hill in Evergreen, Colorado was gifted to MALT  in June 2023 from Albert Frei & Sons. MALT now owns and manages the meadow, allowing public recreation for hiking, wildlife viewing and access for local schools as outdoor classroom space, cross country meets and other gatherings.

When you give to MALT, you support land, water and wildlife conservation right here in your own backyard. 

To learn more, visit www.SaveTheLand.org.