May 30, 2008--Sterling stewards (Durango Herald)
Starting with the purchase of a failed dryland wheat farm south of here 48 years ago, Brice and Phyllis Lee have used environmentally sound practices to make inhospitable land sustain a successful cow-calf operation. In recognition of their efforts, the Lees were among four Colorado finalists for the 2008 Leopold Conservation Award. The award - given annually to private landowners in seven states who practice responsible stewardship of the land - is named for conservationist Aldo Leopold. Among the couple's efforts that led to the nomination for the award:
• In Breen - an area with limited water - they switched from flood irrigation to a much more efficient gravity-fed pivot system to create a permanent source of grass/alfalfa hay. The improvements reduced labor costs and increased productivity.
• The 6,500 acres in New Mexico had been homesteaded by people trying to survive in an area with nine inches of rain annually. The result was an environmental disaster. When the Lees acquired the land in 1991, it was an overgrazed, neglected sheep range.• The Montezuma County ranch also uses gravity-fed pivot irrigation. The Lees also are converting the land from alfalfa production to pasture to lower labor and energy costs and reduce the use of mechanized equipment.
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