Palisade Peach Shack owners James and Laura Sanders are protecting the acreage in partnership with the Colorado West Land Trust. Through the latest easement and two previous projects to conserve land with the land trust, all of the couple’s more than 80 acres of fruit orchards are now protected from development.

The latest easement covers four noncontiguous parcels. Sanders said the keystone parcel is the 8-acre property right off Exit 42 at I-70. He said the goal is to have that gateway area to Palisade “forever be fruit and wine” rather than face possible development.

He said of Palisade, “Right now what we’re known for is agriculture and the wine industry. This just ensures that there’s agriculture right off the interstate.”

The land trust said in a news release that the newly conserved properties don’t just produce fruit but also provide wildlife habitat and are “a critical part of the scenic buffer between Palisade and Grand Junction, helping prevent the valley from becoming a continuous stream of development.”

It said the Peach Shack’s orchards and farmland provide a visual connection to the valley’s rich agricultural past and present for visitors traveling along I-70 or using the Mount Garfield trails.

“Preserving these highly visible agricultural lands not only supports local farming but also maintains the scenic beauty that defines Palisade,” Rob Bleiberg, executive director of the land trust, said in the release. “The Sanders have created a special place where people can reconnect with nature and agriculture, and we’re honored to work with them to protect their orchards for future generations.”

Palisade Peach Shack grows peaches and a variety of other fruit and operate a farm stand and a U-pick operation that lets people pick fruit themselves. James and Laura are first-generation farmers who started their business in 2007, and James Sanders says the conservation easement program has been essential to them in terms of helping them manage debt and keep the farm going.

He said that by taking away the development potential, easements essentially devalue a property by about half, with the landowner receiving compensation, such as through tax credits.

“And then we take those compensations and pay down the debt,” he said.

The land trust said that Great Outdoors Colorado’s Keep it Colorado Transaction Assistance Program has supported the Sanders’ efforts to conserve their land. Great Outdoors Colorado is funded through Colorado Lottery revenues.

Sanders praised the land trust for its strategy of conserving agricultural and other land and said it provides incentives that makes conserving land financially prudent for new landowners.

“If we buy more agricultural land we’re always thinking about the easement,” he said.

By Dennis Web, Read Full Daily Sentinel Article Here