Catamount Ranch Resource Protection Area

General Information

Teller County acquired the 1,320-acre Catamount Ranch Resource Protection Area in 1997. The vision is to preserve the wild, unique beauty of this land on the north slope of Pikes Peak as a significant, protected wildlife habitat.

In addition to Teller County, funding partners included Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Arkansas River Habitat Partnership Program, Gates Family Foundation, El Pomar and private contributors.

Teller County is proud of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve a wilderness area, protected in perpetuity. The Catamount Ranch is a part of a wildlife migration corridor running south from U.S. Highway 24 through Broken Wagon Ranch and into the Colorado Springs Catamount watershed and onto the north slope of Pikes Peak. It also encourages migration east and west from the watershed through Mueller State Park and over to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

A Management Plan for the property was developed in 1997. Implementation has begun, and completed projects include:

• Establishment of the Bob Beekman Internship Program
• Complete trails and roads inventory (GIS)
• Preliminary Cultural Survey
• Forest Stewardship Management Plan
• Reclamation and Re-vegetation of an eroded trail segment
• Clean-up of two former dumpsites

In December 2005, the Teller County Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution to adopt the Management Plan Update and Amendment for the Catamount Ranch Open Space and Resource Protection Area, 2006-2008. This follows an exchange of properties with the Catamount Institute, which permits public access into the remainder of the county-owned Catamount Ranch Resource Protection Area on the designated trail system.

View the Management Plan Amendment (PDF).