Chico Basin Ranch

The Chico Basin Ranch is dedicated to the enhancement and preservation of the natural world and our western heritage. Our mission is to create a working ranching model that views the ranch as an ecological resource base. This base supports a complementary mix of enterprises that emphasize sustainability, innovative management, and diversification as the keys to economic and ecological viability. We believe that ranchers provide an increasingly important role in the stewardship of our nation's native rangelands because ranchers already live on the land and because our families' futures depend on our success at building and maintaining the health of the ecosystem on our properties. The Chico Basin Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the high prairie and is owned by the State of Colorado. It is leased by Duke and Janet Phillips and their family for a 25-year term that began November 1, 1999. Its sprawling ranges of shortgrass and sandsage prairie, spring-fed lakes, meandering creeks, and hidden pools are home to a diverse wildlife population of birds, pronghorn, deer, fish, prairie dogs, coyote, badgers, and more. A rich tradition in ranching and an innovative business strategy form the backbone of the ranching operation. We have recreation, education, and outreach programs that are integral to building a stable business that is less vulnerable to market and climatic fluctuations. Most important to our success as a modern ranching business are the relationships we are building with our neighbors, both locally and in nearby cities. We are forming partnerships with people who want to become more informed and involved with a ranching organization such as ours that produces products that are useful to them while enhancing the natural environment from which they are produced.