2007 & 2010 years granted
117.04 acres
Water rights encumbered
Conservation Values Protected
- Agricultural Open Space: This property is the last remaining vegetable farm in Grand County. The property was used for growing oats and barley in the early 1900s. In the 1920s, Morales Farms was the center of high-altitude lettuce production. Granby head lettuce was well known across the country. The northwestern area of Colorado was considered the lettuce capital of the United States in the early 1900s and the Great Divide Head Lettuce Colony was a major part of this economy. Lettuce production in Grand County began to decline in the 1940s due to competition from other areas of the country where lettuce could be grown at a lower cost. The farm has grown vegetable row crops and alfalfa since the 1970s.
- Scenic Open Space: The public can view the Morales Farms easement from County Roads 608 and 609 and when they visit the property to purchase fresh produce directly from the landowners. This farm is directly south of another conservation easement held by Colorado Headwaters Land Trust, together creating 159.5 acres of protected land just outside of the Town of Granby. The property is very scenic with 360 degrees of open views of surrounding mountains and valleys. Some of the mountainous views that can be seen from the property include the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area and the continental divide, the Vasquez Peak Wilderness and Byers Peak Wilderness, the Never Summer Wilderness, and the Arapaho National Forest.