Mountain Area Land Trust Announces the Protection of 311 Acres in Silver Plume
Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT), in partnership with the Town of Silver Plume, is proud to announce the permanent protection of 311 acres on Republican Mountain through a voluntary conservation easement—a landmark conservation achievement that preserves a defining piece of Colorado’s history, landscape, and future.
For more than three decades, the Town of Silver Plume has held a bold vision: to protect the historic and scenic landscape that rises above its community. Towering above one of Colorado’s most storied mining towns, Republican Mountain is more than a mountainside—it is a place where history, wildlife, recreation, and community converge.
Once home to some of the Rocky Mountain West’s earliest productive silver mines, this remarkable landscape contains dozens of cultural and archaeological sites that will be preserved alongside critical wildlife habitat, watershed resources, and ecological values.
The addition of these 311 acres to Silver Plume Mountain Park secures safe public access to the historic 7:30 Mine Trail—an important connection to Silver Plume’s mining heritage—while preserving dramatic mountain views, watershed health, and the surrounding forested landscape.
Republican Mountain’s protection also carries extraordinary importance for Colorado’s bighorn sheep. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), this landscape provides crucial winter range, habitat, and lambing grounds for the Georgetown herd— one of Colorado’s largest and most genetically significant bighorn populations.
By conserving these 311 acres, the project safeguards habitat essential to the herd’s long-term health while ensuring future generations can continue to experience bighorn sheep on the slopes above Silver Plume.
This milestone reflects the power of local leadership and collaboration. In a town of just over 200 residents, Silver Plume and MALT united with History Colorado, Great Outdoors Colorado and 23 other partners to bring this long-held community vision to life. Together, this partnership is not only protecting land, but also honoring Silver Plume’s heritage, preserving its sense of place, and creating new opportunities for recreation, education, and environmental restoration for generations to come.
“Enabling a very small town to preserve its lifestyle, protect its surrounding mountains and neighboring bighorn sheep herd, provide outdoor recreation, and guard the cultural resources of a National Landmark District is not a small thing,” said Cynthia Neely, Silver Plume’s Special Projects Manager.
“Silver Plume is deeply grateful for the many partners and supporters who made this possible.” MALT’s Executive Director Lynn Caligiuri shares, “Protecting Republican Mountain honors Silver Plume’s past while safeguarding its future. We’re proud to stand with this community preserving its history, wildlife, and remarkable landscape for generations to come.”
Republican Mountain’s conservation is a powerful reminder that conservation starts locally. It begins when communities step forward and say, “This place matters.” Through perseverance, partnership, and shared purpose, Silver Plume has done exactly that—ensuring this extraordinary landscape will remain protected forever.
