Sacramento Creek Ranch

Sacramento Creek Ranch (SCR) is managed by Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT). SCR is a 71-acre property consisting of forest and wetlands, ranch house, greenhouse, barn, yurt and two nature trails open from dawn to dusk. MALT uses SCR for base of operations, educational programming, high alpine research, and land and water conversation.

Sacramento Creek Trail is a 1.5 mile trail loops around the creek, wetlands and beaver ponds. Hershey Trail is a 1-mile trail loop through scenic forest and overlooks Pennsylvania Mountain. The easiest way to access the trails is to park in the ‘circle’ at 2234 Busch Run Rd, Fairplay. The community is welcome to walk the trails and enjoy nature.

MALT acquired the land and assets of SCR in August of 2019. The Park County community, outdoor recreation enthusiasts, visitors and the scientific research community all benefit from MALT’s efforts to preserve, study and enhance the recreational opportunities and biological diversity SCR offers.

SCR was founded in 2014 by Al and Terry Hershey and was formerly known as the Beaver Ponds Environmental Education Center (BPEEC).  land and water conservation efforts, provides access to public trails, continues outdoor education programs and supports 45+ years of continuous high alpine research.

Sacramento Creek Ranch is just minutes away from MALT’s 92-acre property located at Pennsylvania Mountain Natural Area. Learn more about the Pika Trail and the high altitude research that has been conducted there for over 45 years at Pennsylvania Mountain.

Terry and Al Hershey

Sacramento Creek Ranch Updates

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2023 Activities

Park County School District Student Workshops and Guided Tours
Birding Hikes and Workshops with Evergreen Audubon
Moth Black Light Demonstration with UCCS Researchers
Be A Citizen Scientist For A Day – Dendrochronology
Archaeology Study and Mapping
CSU Capstone Student Project for Water Quality Testing

2022: Bird Workshops

MALT partnered with Evergreen Audubon to host two bird identification and citizen science workshops with funding support from Cornell Land Trust Small Grant program and South Park National Heritage Area. Check out the Bird Monitoring Plan.

2022: Trail Completed

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Women’s+ Chainsaw Crew and YouthCorps crews constructed and maintained bridges and completed trail work on Sacramento Creek Trail and Hershey Trail.

2022: Yurt Installation

“Terry’s Yurt” was installed in honor of one of the original owners, Terry Hershey.

2022: Windmill Repair

MALT supporters raised funds to repair the windmill, which provides electricity to an off-grid residence and barn.

2022: Adjacent Landowner Conservation Easements

Two adjacent landowners finalize Conservation Easements bringing the total acreage conserved in the Sacramento Creek Ranch region to 441 acres.

2021: Yurt Construction

Construction of a Yurt began with the installation of footers.

2021: Trail Construction

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado completed the second phase of trail building, which added a new loop of 1,000 feet bordering Pike National Forest. Women’s+ Chainsaw Crew also completed trail work. South Park National Heritage Area provided supportive funding.

2020: Trail Construction

Twenty-five volunteers from VOC kicked off the first of two project weekends on August 21st at Sacramento Creek Ranch to begin work constructing the new trail. A 1.5 mile Sacramento Creek loop trail already existed on the property. Over the weekends of August 21st and 28th volunteers donated 406 hours to build 1.5 miles of new trail through the woods. Learn more.

2019: Sacramento Creek Ranch Acquisition

In the spring of 2019, Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT) acquired the land and assets of Beaver Ponds Environmental Education Center (BPEEC), a 70 acre property located near Fairplay on Sacramento Creek and bordering the Pike National Forest. Moving forward the property will be known as Sacramento Creek Ranch and owned and managed by MALT, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.

A Vision for Sacramento Creek Ranch

Provide a home base for MALT to have a presence in the Park County community.

Conserve and showcase Sacramento Creek Ranch.

Provide educational opportunities and establish partnerships with community organizations.

Utilize Sacramento Creek Ranch in connection with MALT’s property at Pennsylvania Mountain Natural Area for high altitude research which has been ongoing for 45+ years.