McIntosh Dairy

Adams County, northeast of burgeoning Denver, has been struggling to maintain farms and open space in the path of growth. In 1999, The Trust for Public Land helped county residents mount and pass a voter initiative that created a dedicated sales tax for the protection of open space. Then in 2001, we helped the county protect 245 acres of the McIntosh Dairy with a conservation easement, guaranteeing that the land will never be developed while allowing farming to continue.

Owned and operated by the same family since 1906, the farm includes cottonwood and willow bottomlands along the South Platte River, home to deer, elk, nesting raptors, and wild turkeys. Additional funds for the project came from the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund.