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Cielo Vista Ranch/La Sierra

Cielo Vista Ranch/La Sierra

The 80,000 acre Mexican Land Grant from 1844 along the Sangre de Cristo range is the only land grant of its kind in Colorado; at 40 years old, it also happens to be the longest running legal dispute in the state. The legal dispute seeks to balance rights that community members and heirs to the property to access the property for collecting firewood and grazing livestock with the interests of the property owner. Over the years, landowners have limited access to the property and fought in court to limit the land grant heirs’ rights to access the property. In December of 2018, the new landowner and land grant heirs agreed to pause litigation to find common ground and work through their issues. Keystone was brought on to facilitate a series of meetings and discussions in hopes of finding a way to address various concerns of mutual interest.