July 2021 was an exciting time in RiGHT’s history – we closed on our 50th conservation easement with the Sims family on their 160-acre ranch south of Monte Vista, Colorado! Reaching this important conservation milestone in this part of the San Luis Valley was both special and fitting as it brought us full circle back to the place where RiGHT’s conservation work began in 1999: the Rock Creek corridor. Protecting the land, habitat and water rights on the Sims Ranch adds important connectivity to the area’s expanse of privately conserved lands and the neighboring Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge. It also ensures another generation of San Luis Valley ranchers can do what they love: create a lasting legacy and livelihood with working lands.