Honor history, protect the future


For 65 years, Rex and JoAnn Coffman cared for this land and watched wildlife come and go every season. As they turn 90 and step back from ranching, Rex and Jo agreed to sell this special place to AVLT while retaining the right to live out their days here. You can help them ensure the ranch remains active in local agricultural, a place for wild critters and plants to thrive, and a quiet place for the community to enjoy.
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A place for balance


​With its deep agricultural roots, rustic barns, brilliant green fields, thriving riparian corridor, and abundant wetlands, water, and wildlife, Coffman Ranch is a throwback to a simpler, quieter—and more abundant—time. Where it once raised potatoes and dairy cattle, it now raises beef cattle, hay, and wildlife along a generous stretch of wild Gold Medal waters of the Roaring Fork River. In its future, we hope it will raise the next generation of conservationists, farmers, and community leaders alongside the deer, beaver, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, bobcats, and rare orchids that call this place home. It will be a place to inspire, reflect, learn, share, and enjoy. With your help, we can protect and care for this special ranch as a place of hope for the future to inspire more conservation and sustainable land management practices in Western Colorado.

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The journey​
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2019-2021: COMMUNITY LISTENING
Community members, nonprofits, and municipalities​ shared how AVLT can help address their concerns for the future. From this input, we identified the need for an ambassador property to inspire broader conservation, demonstrate regenerative agriculture, welcome this diverse community to connect to conservation, and become AVLT's forever home.
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2021: PROTECT
With incredible community support and a generous discount by the Coffman family, AVLT purchased Coffman Ranch in 2021. Pitkin County placed a conservation easement on the ranch to forever protect the 141-acres of rich soils, wildlife habitat, and natural resources.
2022: LISTEN & LEARN
With partner support, AVLT conducted dozens of one-on-one listening sessions and ecological surveys. Data were compiled to assess the best design for human activity, restoration, and improved agriculture practices. This listening and learning stage will continue throughout every remaining stage in the Coffman campaign and beyond.
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2023: ENGAGE
WHERE WE ARE NOW!
​Through the planning process, ​several steps to safely open the ranch to the public for education, recreation, and community use. Targeted restoration and land management improvements will also be advanced throughout this year.
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2024: COMMIT
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Opportunities to establish a classroom, veggie farm plots, a demonstration kitchen, employee housing, and future AVLT offices were also outlined through the planning process. These buildings and cultivated outdoor spaces will be the last stage of the Coffman capital campaign. 

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​A place for wildlife and biodiversity

The combination of riparian forests, shrublands, grasslands, and wetlands at Coffman Ranch provide a richness of wildlife habitat and activity. Protecting, enhancing, and restoring the biodiversity of this historic floodplain is a priority in the vision for this scientifically special place.

 Through the past year of ecological assessments, wildlife monitoring, and data collection, we know the ranch is home to:
  •  5 vegetative communities and 2 wetland communities
  • 150 plant species, including six rare species and 15 tree and shrub species
  • Over 40 species of bird and 13 of bat (there are only 19 bat species in the state of Colorado)
  • 18 species of mammals and 1 species of amphibians
  • 3 types of fish habitat along the three-quarters mile of Roaring Fork River front
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A space for partners


​We have been running pilot programs and hope you can help expand the programming at the ranch.

​Coffman Ranch is a place for kids of all ages to experience the outdoors and build meaningful connections to nature and healthy food systems.​ Educational experiences range from early-childhood immersion in nature, to advanced scientific research, to community awareness around agriculture and the complementary relationship between nature and livestock. Public schools currently lack free, safe, and easily accessible outdoor learning environments that can be provided at Coffman Ranch. Investing in community partnerships like this can help ensure that EVERY child in our community has the opportunity to see the river, learn about local agriculture, and be inspired by the wildlife who make their home on the land.

Are you a school or nonprofit interested in using Coffman Ranch? Let's make it happen!


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​​A place for community and inspiration


With your support, we can evolve Coffman Ranch into a conservation homestead that will provide unique opportunities for the community to learn about and engage directly with conservation, habitat restoration, and agriculture. This demonstration ranch will showcase the best of what conservation has to offer and help invest in the next generation of land stewards, regenerative land management, natural climate solutions, and connection to the land. You can help create showcase and springboard broader conservation goals throughout the region.



A place for you

Coffman Coffee Walks
 Join your local land trust for a walk to the river! Rain, snow, or shine, every first Friday of the month at 9am we will be at the ranch ready to walk to the river.

​You bring the coffee and we'll bring the convo. The walk takes approximately one hour. Please wear sturdy shoes that you don't mind getting wet and dress for the season. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed as it is a working ranch.

The next Coffman Coffee Walk is Friday, April 7 at 9am. 

All ages are welcome! Please RSVP for every member of your party. You will receive an email with additional information before the event. Contact Carly Bolliger at carly@avlt.org or 970.963.8440 for any questions, special accommodations, or to cancel your registration. 

We love weekends at evenings, too! If you are unable to make it to a scheduled Coffman Coffee Walk, please contact us and we would love to take you out on a tour another day.
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​​A place for this community's vision


​Invest in a healthier future


The next chapter for this ranch - and conservation in Western Colorado - is in front of you today. This is your opportunity to help protect and steward land and treasured water and experience a working ranch first-hand. This is your opportunity to help a vision for your community come to life, to empower the next generation of land stewards, and to save a piece of the past for a healthier future.  Please contact Jeff Davlyn at jeff@avlt.org or 970.456.3560 for more information on how Aspen Valley Land Trust and Coffman Ranch can help fulfill your giving goals. 
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WANT TO DISCUSS YOUR PLEDGE?
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Learn how you can make the vision a reality
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