{"id":2453875,"date":"2020-01-29T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=320032"},"modified":"2020-01-29T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T12:00:00","slug":"a-private-refuge-wildcat-ranch-to-continue-family-based-wildlife-focused-mission-for-next-30-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/a-private-refuge-wildcat-ranch-to-continue-family-based-wildlife-focused-mission-for-next-30-years\/","title":{"rendered":"A private refuge: Wildcat Ranch to continue family-based, wildlife-focused mission for next 30 years"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8176352705411\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-320032-240\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | A moon hangs over Wildcat Ranch on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Wildcat Ranch consists of approximately 7,000 acres and 15 homestead parcels. The ranch\u2019s personal mission is to provide a home for families within a wildlife refuge. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>A moon hangs over Wildcat Ranch on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Wildcat Ranch consists of approximately 7,000 acres and 15 homestead parcels. The ranch\u2019s personal mission is to provide a home for families within a wildlife refuge. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A moon hangs over Wildcat Ranch on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Wildcat Ranch consists of approximately 7,000 acres and 15 homestead parcels. The ranch\u2019s personal mission is to provide a home for families within a wildlife refuge. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Wildcat Ranch Manager Mike Thomas drives a company vehicle throughout the property on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Thomas joined the staff in 1990 and has been a part of managing both the property owners and the land. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Wildcat Ranch Manager Mike Thomas drives a company vehicle throughout the property on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Thomas joined the staff in 1990 and has been a part of managing both the property owners and the land. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Wildcat Ranch Manager Mike Thomas drives a company vehicle throughout the property on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Thomas joined the staff in 1990 and has been a part of managing both the property owners and the land. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Elk tracks cut through the snowy landscape of Wildcat Ranch on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. The ranch is home to a herd of elk, bears, birds and other commonly found Roaring Fork Valley wildlife. Property owners aren\u2019t allowed to use four wheelers, snowmobiles or mountain bikes within the ranch to avoid disturbing the wildlife. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"15\">\n<p><strong>Elk tracks cut through the snowy landscape of Wildcat Ranch on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. The ranch is home to a herd of elk, bears, birds and other commonly found Roaring Fork Valley wildlife. Property owners aren\u2019t allowed to use four wheelers, snowmobiles or mountain bikes within the ranch to avoid disturbing the wildlife. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/wildcat-svs-012920-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Elk tracks cut through the snowy landscape of Wildcat Ranch on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. The ranch is home to a herd of elk, bears, birds and other commonly found Roaring Fork Valley wildlife. Property owners aren\u2019t allowed to use four wheelers, snowmobiles or mountain bikes within the ranch to avoid disturbing the wildlife. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/a-private-refuge-wildcat-ranch-to-continue-family-based-wildlife-focused-mission-for-next-30-years\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/a-private-refuge-wildcat-ranch-to-continue-family-based-wildlife-focused-mission-for-next-30-years\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">On a bluebird January morning, a white truck drove along the roads winding across the snowy hills of Wildcat Ranch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Homes large and small passed the window viewplane, along with a fox and an elk all within an hour\u2019s time as Mike Thomas, longtime ranch manager, drove on. Groomed cross-country ski trails and animal tracks could be seen veering off into the distance and although the ski area was on the horizon, the town of Snowmass Village was nowhere in sight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis community is kind of like its own small town,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For over 30 years, Wildcat Ranch, a 7,000-acre, 15-parcel private neighborhood, has served as both a different living option for local families and an aspiring wildlife preserve in Snowmass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">From development and living restrictions, to active wildlife management and third-party research projects, Thomas and the Wildcat Homeowners Association have worked to create a place that cultivates a positive, sustainable way of life for both residents and ranch wildlife.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And on Jan. 21, Town Council approved a resolution that will allow homeowners and staff to continue on as they have been at the ranch for the next 30 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOne of the conundrums of humanity is if we care about a place and want to preserve it, we protect it against development but not unlimited human access, meaning we love to death some of our favorite places,\u201d said Bill Hegberg, president of the Wildcat Ranch Homeowners Association. \u201cThe entire concept of Wildcat is to live in a wildlife refuge and ensure the human element is consistently positive and protective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In 1994, the \u201cWildcat Ranch Lands\u201d were annexed into the town of Snowmass Village, identified as a Planned Unit Development, or PUD zone, pinned with development restrictions and awarded vested property rights for a period of 30 years, according to Hegberg and town documents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A host of development and land-use restrictions also were placed on the ranch area by Pitkin County before the Snowmass annexation \u2014 <a id=\"N0x2755300N0x25cc090:N0x2755300N0x27b2718\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wildcatranch.com\/history\/\">which has a homesteading history that dates back to 1884<\/a> \u2014 altogether including limits on the number and size of developed buildings, required wildlife protection and mitigation measures, and limits on pets, specifically allowing for only two dogs per homestead that must be leashed, kenneled or kept indoors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The town also requested public use of the Rim Trail, which cuts across some Wildcat Ranch property and a fishing easement for Snowmass Creek, according to the 1994 ordinance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Roughly 26 years later, Thomas and Hegberg sat before Town Council on behalf of the ranch to have the same vested rights detailed in the original ordinance extended from 2024 to 2054, save for a new easement that helps the town reroute the Rim Trail to be less steep with less blind corners and more sustainable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On Jan. 21, Town Council unanimously approved the new ordinance, including the proposed Rim Trail reroute, after little discussion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For Thomas and Hegberg, the decision was important in helping them continue to preserve Wildcat Ranch as a unique wildland-urban interface.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhat we\u2019ve asked for is nothing more than we\u2019ve had for the past 26 years,\u201d Hegberg said. \u201cThese vested rights allow families to take the time, be thoughtful and see what they really need, which often is not a big house, but also keeps them from having to give up the future value of a big house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On a recent morning from the ranch headquarters, Hegberg, Thomas and Dan Gageby, assistant ranch manager, talked about how they\u2019ve seen the ranch evolve over the years and what they feel it offers to the families who live there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The men said they\u2019ve watched babies grow into adults who now have children of their own on the ranch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe ranch has become a really important place for families who want to raise their children with the outdoors in mind,\u201d Hegberg said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The ecosystem of the ranch also has improved over the past several decades with the help of Thomas, who has a forestry degree and has been managing the ranch for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Thomas said he\u2019s worked to stay on top of managing the ranch\u2019s 30-miles of trails, weeds and to improve the ranch\u2019s streambeds over the years, and has a multi-objective vegetation management plan in place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe wildlife habitat here has improved significantly through management and is really a big refuge,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As Thomas drove around Wildcat Ranch and pointed out different wildlife and management features on a recent morning, he said he plans to continue working with outside researchers and nonprofits to host wildlife projects and camps on the ranch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He\u2019s also driven to continuing to manage the ranch as if it were a wildlife refuge, hinting that what\u2019s best about Wildcat is the fact that it\u2019s been preserved for so long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019ve always been in the mindset that people don\u2019t really need to know anything about the ranch,\u201d Thomas said, smiling. \u201cIt\u2019s just a private place where people bought into the concepts and we all want to keep the land as untouched as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:mvincent@aspentimes.com\">mvincent@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/snowmass\/a-private-refuge-wildcat-ranch-to-continue-family-based-wildlife-focused-mission-for-next-30-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A moon hangs over Wildcat Ranch on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Wildcat Ranch consists of approximately 7,000 acres and 15 homestead parcels. The ranch\u2019s personal mission is to provide a home for families within a wildlife refuge. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Wildcat Ranch Manager Mike Thomas drives a company vehicle throughout the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2453875","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-25 00:21:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2453875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453875\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2453875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2453875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2453875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}