Cielo Vista Ranch wants to limit historic access to La Sierra
SAN LUIS, CO — Local landowners are again being forced to defend their rights to protect their community land grant as a local ranch owner seeks to take away 233.6 acres of such land to allow for “a sizable buffer zone” for the building of a home that requires such “incredible privacy” that takes away a portion of the reasonable access areas previously granted to the historic land users.
In a three-day hearing, locals who have access rights to use of the land for grazing their cattle in the poorest county in Colorado, heard attorneys for William Harrison owner of the Cielo Vista Ranch, who did not attend the court hearing, argue that Harrison now plans to build a home with a proposed 88,000-acre “buffer zone” for privacy.
The hearing was another important issue in one of the longest-standing court cases in America jurisprudence going back 45 years – beginning in 1981. In 2022 a special master was assigned to the case to deal with disagreements between the 5,000 local residents who have access to the land and the owners of the ranch.
The proposed ” buffer zone” was the most important issue of the hearing. The crux of the argument was about what access would the residents, who have legal access to the land, have after Harrison’s completed his home construction with the “proposed buffer zone” fence around it that would limit access for the people who use the land for survival — contrary to the rights that the local residents have.
According to the land use access holders, the heirs of the “Sangre De Cristo Land Grant” and their attorneys argued against the buffer zone, stating it will create unreasonable restrictions on accessing grazing areas because the area is “in a choke point because its construction location was “intentional.”
The heirs of the Sangre Cristo Grant, the land use access holders, and their attorneys stated more than once that even with a proposed 233-acres buffer zone, access to more than 3,000 acres of prime livestock grazing lands will be cut off.
According to one report, the proposed homesite will include seven buildings, and a “toy box” to store Harrison’s helicopter, snowmobile. ATVs and a security area larger than the White House and the Vatican combined in an area with combined acreage of 139 acres.
Around 5,000 heirs to the land grant have been identified and about 1,000 are keyholders with access to use the land for timber, firewood and grazing.
At the end of the three-day hearing, the judge, Special Master David Tenner asked both sides to submit legal briefs on their positions regarding whether or not it’s “reasonable” for a buffer-zone to be allowed, restricting local residents movement in some areas.
If it’s “reasonable” he will allow continued access to La Sierra unabated. If he finds it’s “unreasonable” he will either not allow access or restrict local residents movement in some areas on the mountain.
