GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—The federal Bureau of Land Management has purchased a 550-acre western Colorado ranch that borders Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
The BLM said it acquired the ranch for $1.4 million with funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. It was owned by the August Nicolas Family Partnership.
The land borders the national park, the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness and the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area.
The BLM’s Karen Tucker says it could have been developed as a rural subdivision and changed the character of the national park.
Tucker says BLM ownership will enhance public recreation, preserve the scenery and conserve critical wildlife habitat.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
