Take Me Home, Country Roads singer John Denver bought 957 Colorado acres in 1979; Windstar later sold, but 927 wildlife-habitat acres stayed protected

John Denver bought a 957-acre property in Old Snowmass, Colorado, in 1979 and had a vision of it becoming the home of the Windstar Foundation, which was an environmental organization he had co-founded three years earlier. The property was sold after decades, but most of the land remained protected under a conservation easement that prevents development on 927 acres.The Windstar property sits in the Roaring Fork Valley, about 10 miles north of Aspen. The land had been used as a sheep ranch and later became a retreat center for St. Benedict's Monastery, following which Denver bought it in 1979 and developed the property as the base for his environmental work. The official John Denver website records the purchase and later conservation history.Denver's environmental project took shapeDenver co-founded the Windstar Foundation in 1976 as a nonprofit environmental education and research center. The foundation focused on conservation and environmental issues, and the Old Snowmass property became closely associated with that work. The land was more than a private mountain retreat, since Denver envisioned an environmental research facility there, with space for staff and programs connected to the Windstar Foundation.The property eventually became the focus of a partnership with the Rocky Mountain Institute, and in 1996, RMI acquired an interest in the land, and the Windstar Land Conservancy was formed by the foundation and RMI to own and manage the property. That same year brought the legal protection that would outlast the organizations' later changes.927 acres were protected from developmentA conservation easement was placed on 927 of the property's 957 acres in 1996, which was held by the Aspen Valley Land Trust and Pitkin County Open Space and Trails. The property was being prepared for sale in 2013, and the distinction between the protected land and the remaining 30 acres became important. The 927 acres could no longer be developed under the terms of the easement.The Aspen Times reported in April 2013 that the easement restricted development on the 927 acres and allowed activities including wildlife-habitat management, agriculture and irrigation. The easement also included a guarantee of public access, wherein visitors were able to use an established route along Windwalker's Ditch. Windstar Land Conservancy officials said the conservation easement could not be altered and would remain in place in perpetuity, which meant that the sale of the property would not automatically open the protected acreage to construction.Windstar was sold in 2013By 2012, the Windstar Foundation was winding down, and its board voted to dissolve the organization, while its conservation work was expected to continue through the Windstar Land Conservancy and its partners. The following year, the 957-acre property was placed under contract for sale to a private buyer. The buyer's identity was not initially disclosed.Earlier plans had included a research center of more than 20,000 square feet and housing for as many as 20 employees. The Rocky Mountain Institute had tried unsuccessfully to obtain county approval for the institutional project in 2004, and by 2013, that plan had been abandoned. The Aspen Times reported that the conservation easement covered 927 acres while the remaining 30 acres were outside its protection. The conservancy ultimately decided not to seek approval for a proposed single-family home on that portion before the sale, which left any future application to the new owner.The land's conservation status survived the saleThe Windstar Land Conservancy and Rocky Mountain Institute announced the sale in April 2013. Their statement was reproduced on Denver's official website, which said the property totaled 957 acres and described it as important wildlife and wetlands habitat. It also confirmed that the 1996 conservation easement protected 927 acres from development forever. The easement was held by Aspen Valley Land Trust and Pitkin County Open Space and Trails. The protected acreage therefore did not disappear when ownership changed, as the legal conservation arrangement remained attached to the land.Denver died in 1997, years before the property was sold. A 2012 statement from the Windstar Foundation said Denver had wanted the land conserved and protected in perpetuity, and described the creation of the Windstar Land Conservancy and conservation easement as fulfilling that intention.Today, the 957-acre property could change hands, but the conservation easement placed on 927 acres was designed to remain in force regardless of the sale. That left the majority of the land under permanent development restrictions while preserving its wildlife, wetland, and open-space functions.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.