GHOST RANCH:
A NEW LEGACY OF CONSERVATION
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan?
The Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect an iconic New Mexico landscape.
The plan will help preserve the landscapes and vistas surrounding Ghost Ranch’s main facilities outside of Abiquiú.
It will also protect pristine land, water and wildlife habitat from the threat of development, preserve traditional ranching practices and ensure sustainable operations for Ghost Ranch’s educational programs for years to come.
How does the Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan work and who is involved?
The National Ghost Ranch Foundation will enter into conservation easements for approximately 6,000 acres of land with the State of New Mexico and the New Mexico Land Conservancy, a statewide non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving New Mexico’s land heritage.
A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement to preserve land for conservation purposes while allowing landowners to retain ownership. Many partnerships, such as this one, also secure public access to lands set aside for conservation.
The New Mexico Land Conservancy will hold the conservation easements in trust for the public benefit and traditional land users on behalf of the Presbyterian Church Foundation, which owns the land, the National Ghost Ranch Foundation and the State of New Mexico.
What exactly is being preserved?
Approximately 6,000 acres are being considered for conservation easements under the Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan. This includes one parcel of 4,225 acres and another parcel of 1,560 acres located next to each other just west of the Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center outside Abiquiú, N.M. A map of the proposed parcels can be viewed here.
The plan will help protect pristine land, water and wildlife habitat from the threat of development while preserving traditional ranching practices.
The conservation easements will also preserve the landscapes and vistas made famous by Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings for future generations. This includes the mesas that overlook Abiquiú Lake, the Rio Chama, and the Cerro Pedernal (Tewa: Tsip'in).
The conservation easements will not affect the 550 acres of the main Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center, which include the visitor’s center, trails, lodging, stables and museums.
Why is Ghost Ranch embarking on this Conservation Plan?
Ghost Ranch includes some of the most iconic landscapes in New Mexico, with thousands of acres of pristine land, water and wildlife habitat.
Over time, new threats to the surrounding landscapes and vistas have emerged, from increased development and subdivision of land near Abiquiú Lake, to wildfire risk and the effects of climate change.
As these threats emerged, it became clear Ghost Ranch would benefit from having additional partners to help preserve the land and ensure sustainable operations for Ghost Ranch’s educational programs for future generations.
With deep experience in complicated real estate transactions involving land conservation, Ghost Ranch has found a trusted partner in the New Mexico Land Conservancy to secure this once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect an iconic New Mexico landscape.
How will this affect the existing Ghost Ranch visitor experience?
The conservation easements will not affect the 550 acres of the main Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center, which include the visitor’s center, trails, lodging, stables and museums.
As such, the visitor experience at Ghost Ranch will not change. Instead, the Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan will allow the ranch to sustain existing educational programs while providing new opportunities to enhance public offerings. This may include additional public access to the landscapes and trails that are visited by thousands of people each year.
How will this affect ownership of Ghost Ranch?
Ownership of Ghost Ranch will not change with the conservation easements in the Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan.
The facilities and lands surrounding Ghost Ranch are owned by the Presbyterian Church Foundation and leased to and managed by the National Ghost Ranch Foundation, Inc, an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Arthur and Phoebe Pack donated the land to the Board of Christian Education in 1955, which is now part of the Presbyterian Church Foundation. The Packs wanted to see the surrounding lands protected and Ghost Ranch preserved as an educational and retreat center.
What are the financial details of the conservation easements?
The conservation easements under the Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan will be done in partnership between the Presbyterian Church Foundation, Ghost Ranch Foundation, the State of New Mexico, and the New Mexico Land Conservancy.
The State of New Mexico is devoting $921,450 through the state’s Natural Heritage Conservation Act Program (NHCA) for the initial 4,225 acres, which helps cover transaction costs for the conservation easements. The funding comes from the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, the state’s first funding source for land and water conservation, agriculture and outdoor recreation.
The New Mexico Land Conservancy will hold the conservation easements in trust for the public benefit and traditional land users on behalf of the Presbyterian Church Foundation, which owns the land, the National Ghost Ranch Foundation and the State of New Mexico.
What is the connection between Georgia O’Keeffe and Ghost Ranch?
Georgia O’Keeffe was a visionary artist who found solace and inspiration at Ghost Ranch. Her depictions of the red and gray hills and the majestic Cerro Pedernal (Tewa: Tsip'in) are some of the most recognizable paintings in art history and continue to mesmerize knowledgeable visitors to this day.
O’Keeffe owned a small house and seven acres on Ghost Ranch land and a larger home and studio in the nearby village of Abiquiú. Both homes are owned and managed separately by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe.
While the Ghost Ranch Conservation Plan does not directly affect these properties, the conservation easements will preserve the landscapes and vistas made famous by O'Keeffe's paintings for future generations. This includes the mesas that overlook Abiquiú Lake, the Rio Chama, and the Cerro Pedernal (Tewa: Tsip'in).
For more information about the history of Georgia O’Keeffe and Ghost Ranch, visit: https://www.ghostranch.org/georgia-okeeffe/
