|
<br />Round-
<br />
<br />about
<br />begins
<br />on'Baca
<br />
<br />. 'A site of global
<br />significance' I2>Jj,;).~
<br />
<br />. -.,'\.
<br />' . ~
<br />..::..___J
<br />
<br />By GARY TAYLOR .
<br />MOSCA - The process of having the
<br />historic Baca Ranch fall into safe hands
<br />for Valley residents will be a round:
<br />about one involving the ClintonAdmin.
<br />jstration, the Congress, the Nature Con-
<br />servancy the State of Colorado,
<br />Saguache County and Valley residents.
<br />Gary Boyce and other owners attempt.
<br />ing to sell the Baca were urged Satur-
<br />day to not hold up progress and sell at a
<br />rcasonabh~ prlce, but c"cn t.hat nmoL)nt
<br />mav be. a windfall for the Cab e.. dti
<br />Vaca.L.ndandGnttlcCo., whieh bought
<br />the 100,000 acres for an cstimated $12
<br />million siJ<' years ago anu is now asking
<br />a reported $35 minion.
<br />The Oaes, because of where it sits
<br />hard against the San gr. de CristoMoun.
<br />tains north of tho Great Sand Dunes
<br />National Monumcnt;.was the site "of fl
<br />water-export busin13ss th.nt would have
<br />pumped 200,000 acro feet of groundwa.
<br />ter a year from the Valley. ColQrado
<br />voters, aligning behind angry Valley
<br />residents, rejected the plan.' .
<br />The federal government's purchase
<br />effort through the intermediary Nature
<br />(:{,,,servancy is." linchpin of the larger
<br />
<br />. Please see Baca page 5.
<br />
<br />.~.:
<br />
<br />,. .)
<br />\~:.'\..:"'v'
<br />
<br />( -
<br />
<br />~aca
<br />
<br />.. Continued (rom page 1
<br />
<br />the sand sheet and other na.tural
<br />. ';"ondcrs. I
<br />Five top statc and federal gov.
<br />crnnicnt leaders Saturday
<br />pledge'd'their preliminary sup'
<br />port to'the deal, but none would
<br />spea.k iri~dcpth about the private
<br />purchase negotiations that tho
<br />V"lIeyCou,yfr learned havo boen
<br />ongoing for years. .
<br />Valley native Ken Sala.ar, the
<br />state attorne)! general, is help.
<br />ing the procos~ with legal advice
<br />on water issues.
<br />:01. .
<br />
<br />. 'prgent times'.
<br />. bn the subjoctofthe Baca pur.
<br />chase try. the featured govern-
<br />ment leaders deferred to Colo-
<br />rado Nature Conservancy Dircc~
<br />tor Mark Burget, whose orga"i.
<br />z.a.t;ion last summer purchased,
<br />for.$6 million, the 100,OOO.acre
<br />Medano and Zapa to ranches ad-
<br />joini"g the Monument.
<br />Said Secretary of the I"terior
<br />Bruce Babbitt: "The Nature Con.
<br />servancy has the lead (in nego-
<br />tiations on Baca Ranch)."
<br />Burget chose his .words care-
<br />fully.
<br />"Urgent times require urgent
<br />measures," he. said during an
<br />iriterview with the' Courier, of
<br />the apparent speed-up in nego-
<br />tIatIOns.
<br />The Baca Ranch, he said, "has
<br />been on our radar screen for.
<br />awhile,"
<br />'When the Cabeza de Vaca Land
<br />and Cattle Co. and area rancher.
<br />Boyce purchosed Baca Ranch five
<br />years age, the Natur.c Conser-
<br />vancy was a bidder.
<br />Speaking about Bo)'ce et al
<br />Burg;~t said, "The current own:
<br />crs of the Baca Ranch have a
<br />uni9uc, once-in.a .Jifetime OPPOl'-
<br />tUnlty to create a legacv of good
<br />will."' .
<br />.Asked if the Nature Conser.
<br />vancy would, like an adoptive
<br />parent, have difficulty selling
<br />Baca Ranch to the federal gov.
<br />ernment when the'time comes
<br />Burget said, "No. It's too much
<br />mane.)' (for the Nature Conser.
<br />vancy to retain)."
<br />.The process, whereby the Na-
<br />ture Conservancy, ouys property
<br />nnd sells it to the federal govern.
<br />ment, is not new, he sa.id.
<br />
<br />'Notlet.thishappen'
<br />
<br />Wh~n addressing about ] DO
<br />people in the Visitors Center af.
<br />ter the Summit at High Dune, he
<br />descnbed the. area as "a sit~ CIf
<br />global significance."
<br />:During a news conference in.
<br />volving the five governme"t lead-
<br />ersand Burget, the firstappJause
<br />for other than an introduction
<br />came when U.S. Sen.. Ben
<br />~ighthorse Campbell said, "This
<br />(purchase and park) will put an. .
<br />
<br />end to the campaign of people .-.
<br />who came mto thIs Valley to sell. .
<br />the \Vater for personal gain.
<br />"We're not going to let this
<br />happen to this VaHey." i
<br />U.S. Rep Scott Mcinnis ap.
<br />peared to be helping Burget ne.
<br />got,ate wlwn he said, "We have
<br />to prepare ourselves if these ne.
<br />potiations (lrf! nnt dosed,"
<br />
<br />He-s--;iTthe-P;:i~~t;g was-;;
<br />minimum of $35 million. Other
<br />I; figures thrown out were $40 mil-
<br />I lion and $50 million.
<br />I
<br />
<br />'Answer is yes'
<br />Babbitt joked .about his role,
<br />which will. be to convince the
<br />Clinton Administration to buy
<br />Baca Ranch from the Nature
<br />Conservancy. .
<br />"1 agree with everything rve .
<br />heard saii:l (by Burget, Campbell, :
<br />Mcinnis, Sala.ar and U.S. Sen. !
<br />Wayne Allard). "Well, wait a : .
<br />minute. 1 did hear Scott oay J .
<br />was committed to the $35 or $10.
<br />million dollars. Okay. In the'
<br />spirit of this proceeding, the an. ,
<br />5wcr is yes."
<br />
<br />That drew laughter.
<br />Allard said he was involved
<br />with Burget in the purchase
<br />talks.
<br />"In the past month, rve been
<br />working with the Nature Con-
<br />servancyon the purchaseofBaca
<br />Ranch and then the subsequent
<br />sale of the Baca Ranch to the
<br />f~dcraJ government'" he said.
<br />
|