Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust

What Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust does

Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust established in 1995 by the Colorado Cattlemen's Association. It is the first land trust formed by a state livestock association, a model subsequently followed by Wyoming, California, Kansas, Texas, South Dakota, and Oregon. CCALT partners with ranchers and farmers across Colorado to place permanent conservation easements on working agricultural lands, supplementing that core service with stewardship monitoring on approximately 299 properties covering 500,000+ acres, succession planning workshops, an Agricultural Resiliency Fund, and Additive Conservation enhancements (wildfire mitigation, soil health, irrigation). It merged with the Yampa Valley Land Trust in 2019 to create the Yampa Valley Conservation Partnership and currently operates from a headquarters in Lakewood (relocated September 2025 to the 1stBank Building) with regional offices in Steamboat Springs, Carbondale, and Del Norte.

CCALT's core technology is a GIS database maintained by a dedicated GIS Manager that supports conservation easement transactions, stewardship monitoring, fundraising, and communications. An annual Conservation Easement Stewardship System ensures easement compliance across all conserved properties. The organization is Land Trust Alliance accredited (2009, 2013, 2020) and certified by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies Division of Real Estate to hold conservation easements.

CCALT operates a donation-and-grant-driven nonprofit business model rather than a transactional revenue model. Services to landowners are free; funding flows from individual donations (one-time, the Line Rider Society monthly giving program, vehicle donations through Cars Helping Charity, gifts of real estate via Realty Gift Fund), foundation grants (Gates Family Foundation, El Pomar Foundation), government grants (Great Outdoors Colorado, NRCS Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program, North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Department of Defense REPI Program), corporate sponsorships (Chevron), and committed county funding (Eagle County's up to $10M Nottingham Ranch commitment, February 2026). As of 2025/2026 CCALT reports conserving more than 840,000 acres of Colorado ranchland in partnership with 500+ families, sitting roughly 150,000 acres from a One Million Acre benchmark.

Name

Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust

Legal name

Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust

Website

https://ccalt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust is a nonprofit land trust that partners with Colorado ranchers and farmers to permanently conserve working agricultural lands via conservation easements, sustained by donations, government grants, foundation funding, and corporate sponsorships across regional offices statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry (115), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

Keywords

• Conservation easements
• Land trust services
• Agricultural land conservation
• Working lands stewardship
• Ranchland preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Arvada

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donors contribute to CCALT's conservation mission. Every $25 donation enables CCALT to save one acre of Colorado land. Donors can give online, set up monthly giving through the Line Rider Society, or make one-time gifts.
2. Vehicle Donations: CCALT partners with Cars Helping Charity to accept vehicle donations (cars, trucks, boats, RVs, motorcycles) which are then sold at auction or auto recycler with proceeds going to CCALT.
3. Gift Planning and Planned Giving: Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, retirement plan designations, and life insurance gifts that provide future funding for CCALT's work.
4. Gifts of Real Estate: CCALT collaborates with Realty Gift Fund to receive real estate gifts of all types (homes, land, warehouses, shopping centers) which are liquidated with net proceeds supporting ranchland conservation.
5. Government Grants: Funding from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), NRCS Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program, North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and Department of Defense REPI Program.
6. Foundation Grants: Support from Gates Family Foundation and other foundations to fund conservation projects and organizational programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

CCALT partners with agricultural landowners across Colorado to place conservation easements on working farm and ranch lands, permanently protecting them from development while preserving ranching and farming operations. The organization provides end-to-end conservation easement transaction services, perpetual stewardship and monitoring of conserved properties, and supplemental support programs including succession planning assistance and additive conservation enhancements for grassland health, irrigation, and wildfire mitigation.

Product overview

CCALT operates as a land trust offering a portfolio of conservation-focused programs centered on its core conservation easement service. The organization provides stewardship and monitoring for protected properties, supplemented by specialized programs including the Forever Colorado brand campaign, additive conservation enhancements, an Agricultural Resiliency Fund, and succession planning workshops. The Yampa Valley Conservation Partnership extends regional operations in northwestern Colorado, while the Line Rider Society provides a recurring donation mechanism. Together, these services support landowners in permanently protecting agricultural land while maintaining productive ranching and farming operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forever Colorado: A brand campaign and promise to protect Colorado's working lands, open spaces, and agricultural heritage for generations to come.
• Yampa Valley Conservation Partnership

Products and services

• Conservation Easements CCALT's primary service partnering with landowners to place conservation easements on agricultural lands, permanently protecting working landscapes from development while preserving ranching and farming operations. Provided at no cost to landowners and funded through donations and grants.
• Stewardship and Monitoring Annual on-the-ground monitoring of conserved properties to ensure conservation easement terms are upheld in perpetuity, managing conservation easement transactions, and providing ongoing support to landowners. Covers approximately 299 properties representing over 500,000 acres requiring annual visits.
• Succession Planning Services Workshops and direct assistance helping agricultural families navigate generational land transfers and plan for long-term stewardship of conserved properties, delivered in partnership with the Colorado Cattlemen's Association and CSU Extension.
• Additive Conservation Enhancement programs supporting grassland health, irrigation improvements, and wildfire mitigation on working lands already under conservation easement, including the Colorado Soil Health Program and the Steamboat Front Wildfire Ready Action Plan.
• Agricultural Resiliency Fund Funding program providing grants to support landowner projects including fencing, water infrastructure, and soil health improvements on conserved lands, helping agricultural operations build long-term resilience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 840,000+ acres of Colorado ranch land conserved in perpetuity
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yampa Valley Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In 2019, CCALT merged with the Yampa Valley Land Trust. Under the shared banner of CCALT, the Yampa Valley Conservation Partnership was created, extending CCALT's conservation efforts in the Yampa Valley and across northwestern Colorado.
• Partnership of Rangeland Trusts (PORT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCALT is a proud member of PORT, a group of agricultural-focused state conservation associations. Together, PORT members across 12 states have partnered with over 2,000 farm and ranch families to conserve more than 3.1 million acres.
• Ducks Unlimited (DU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner for North Park projects, focused on wetland and waterfowl habitat protection.
• Land Trust AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization that awarded CCALT its Land Trust Excellence Award in 2017 and has accredited CCALT (2009, 2013, 2020).
• Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Real EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState regulatory body that certified CCALT to hold conservation easements. CCALT meets qualifications to hold conservation easements under DORA certification.
• Realty Gift FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized 501(c)(3) that exclusively accepts gifts of real estate on behalf of nonprofits. Collaborates with CCALT to process real estate donations including homes, land, warehouses, and shopping centers.
• Cars Helping CharityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVehicle donation program partner that accepts any vehicles (running or not) including cars, trucks, boats, RVs, motorcycles. Handles moving and logistics at no cost to donor; proceeds go to CCALT.
• Colorado Cattlemen's AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization that established CCALT in 1995. CCALT maintains close relationship with CCA for annual convention and succession planning workshops.
• Colorado Youth OutdoorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in unique conservation project announced February 2026 alongside Trust for Public Land and Chevron.
• Trust for Public LandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in unique conservation project announced February 2026 alongside Colorado Youth Outdoors and Chevron.
• Keep it ColoradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErik Glenn serves on the Board of Directors of Keep it Colorado.
• The Conservation FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal easement holder for JA Ranch before transfer to CCALT in 2023. National conservation organization.
• Douglas CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-easement holder for JA Ranch conservation project along with The Conservation Fund.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Colorado Open Lands: Colorado-based nonprofit land trust that holds and stewards conservation easements across the state. Directly competes with CCALT for landowner relationships, grant funding (GOCO, NRCS), and donor dollars, but focuses across multiple land types including ranchland, open space, and urban-edge conservation.
• Montana Land Reliance: Wyoming/Montana-based agricultural land trust co-founding member of PORT (Partnership of Rangeland Trusts). Direct rangeland easement peer serving ranching families under the same model as CCALT, with comparable scale and revenue model.
• Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust: Wyoming-based agricultural land trust founded by a state livestock association following the CCALT model established in 1995. Functions as a near-clone peer — same target customer, same funding architecture, same mission — making it the most directly comparable land trust organizationally.

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that works on conservation land acquisition and easements, including active projects in Colorado alongside CCALT (per partnership record). Much larger and broader in scope (parks, urban, rural, working lands) across all 50 states.
• American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit focused on farmland and ranchland protection, policy advocacy, and agricultural viability. Overlaps with CCALT on agricultural land conservation mission and federal funding streams, but operates at the national policy scale rather than holding regional easements.
• The Conservation Fund: National nonprofit that acquires and manages working lands, conservation easements, and mitigation properties. Previously held the JA Ranch easement before transferring to CCALT in 2023 — a direct working partner and partial competitor for large-ranch easement transactions.

Others

• Land Trust Alliance: National umbrella organization that accredits and supports land trusts including CCALT (2009, 2013, 2020). Not a direct easement peer but a coordinating body whose standards shape CCALT's operations, accreditation status, and access to national funding networks.
• Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO): Statewide conservation funding entity created by Colorado Lottery proceeds. Functions as a major CCALT funder rather than a direct easement peer, but its grant programs shape the competitive landscape CCALT operates within and has funded over 50 acquisitions now partly stewarded by CCALT alumni.
• National Western Stock Show Association: Heritage agricultural nonprofit and event organization where CCALT's CEO is a Trustee and where CCALT co-hosts annual fundraising events. Thematically aligned with western agricultural heritage but not a land-protection peer.

Emerging players

• Ducks Unlimited: National waterfowl and wetlands conservation nonprofit that partners with CCALT on North Park projects and is represented on CCALT's Board. Holds its own conservation easements in some regions and competes for wetland-oriented conservation funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKCZHcn5O4ijfy4PKodsEUg/feed
• Facebookfacebook.com/CCALT
• Instagraminstagram.com/ccalt_org
• Xx.com/ccalt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust