I was recently digging around in a stack of papers in a closet, when I found several essays that I wrote in the first two years of moving onto the Chico Basin Ranch. At first, I was surprised at how the ideas I expressed were pretty much identical to the vision that we are thinking about and working toward today.

In February 2002, I wrote: “My definition of the economics in ranching is people working together to produce beef from an ecosystem that provides first for Mother Earth.”

Further on, I continued: “The greatest resource that we at the Chico Basin have are the people who live so close in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Denver.” 

I went on:  “The challenge to learn to live with our natural environment has created a dichotomy: two cultures from one society – one living in the rural landscape and one in metropolitan areas – both at odds with each other. These two groups are increasingly polarized, due to isolation from each other. The adversarial tension between us is unfortunate, because the only way that our land can truly be returned to its natural state is by all people uniting to use our strengths in a complementary manner. The question for us, though, as I think about how to solve this dilemma, is how do we gather people, how do we motivate people, how do we get people excited about the possibilities, instead of being all fired up at what the other guy is doing wrong? Perhaps the single missing component is communication. How do we find time to sit together and talk?”

Twenty years ago, there was palpable tension between the agriculture and conservation communities, which has changed greatly today. The prospects of grazing and ranching have proven to be a force to contend with and have gained merit in the eyes of conservationists. The latest word describing responsible agriculture is “regenerative” — having the ability to restore ecosystems. This term has garnered the highest level of support for agriculture in the public eye that we have seen so far.

Since 2002, when I wrote about the dichotomy of our respective perceptions of each other, Ranchlands has had an enormous group of people of all ages visit our ranches, not just from the surrounding cities, but from all over the world. As importantly, we have created a robust communication network through modern digital platforms that continue to explore ways to disseminate and share information about ranching as a working landscape that produces healthy ecosystems, and invited people to join us in our work to develop a modern ranching model that combines the strengths and resources of our respective worlds.

So as I look back reading these essays, I am reminded that the Collective has been living in our long term outlook since the beginning. It’s inspiring to me that this has been at the core of everything we’ve done, even though it has not been vocalized as publicly as it is now. I see that it has been a silent guiding light working beneath the surface, in our subconscious.

The wheels are turning increasingly faster under this idea now, with weekly brainstorming discussions focused on creating tangible ways of bringing us closer. Stay tuned for more news in the near future.

In the meantime, we are busy with our search for new land for our cattle herd and team of people. We recently entertained a ranch owner on one of our ranches who wanted to meet our team and see one of our operations firsthand. We are following leads everywhere, turning over every rock. The energy that we continue to feel from so many folks out there is inspiring to say the least, giving us the confidence that we are going to find a great ranch and great people to work with. Thank you for this – it helps us greatly.

On the ranches, we are in the process of getting ready for the growing season – for summertime, with grazing planning, hiring new staff, getting machinery ready for the haying season, so that when harvest time rolls around, all we have to do is start the motors and head out the shop door. Every morning we are going out to cut down burdock, the pesky little weeds, like we have been doing all winter. Yearling herds will be shipped to Wyoming for the fattening season soon. Bird banding will be in full swing as well, with the startup of the great bird migration. The geese and the cranes will be filling the air with all their mating racket before we know it. We can’t wait for the baby calves to be bouncing around. People are signing up for the spectacular horse packing trips on Paintrock Canyon Ranch, experiences that will leave our guests changed. February is half over, marked by earlier sunrises and later sunsets bringing on the beginning of spring. I sense it in everything. It makes me anxious, wanting it to be here now, tired of the long winter.

I leave you with this excerpt from another essay I wrote in 2002: “Think of what it would be like for the population of a city such as Colorado Springs to be surrounded by thousands of acres that produce much of their food while the soils become richer, the plant life more diverse and the pools of water so pure that you can pucker your lips and drink right off the surface. Think about what it would be like if the schools in the cities could use these lands as living laboratories to study the wild and enlarge their thinking and outdoor experiences. What if the people who live on these lands and care for them are people who you grow to trust and who spend their time developing multilevel activities that combine education, recreation and opportunities around experiencing our western heritage and learning about ranching ecosystem management. What if families could use these rangelands to go with their families to hike, bike or explore on a vacation or weekend outings. And what if the families and businesses on these lands become stronger. Think of how this would change our lives. And our world.”

Duke Phillips

February 20, 2024