Bent Conservation District is recipient of a Colorado State Conservation Board Supplemental Matching Grant – helping to fund ten improvement projects

One of Bent Conservations District’s recent projects

From Pastures to Pure Awesomeness!
By Rachel Murphy, District Manager

Bent Conservation District was thrilled to be awarded a Colorado State Conservation Board (CSCB) Supplemental Matching Grant in 2025, which helped fund ten range improvement projects within the district over the past year.

The grant funds supported fence replacements throughout the conservation district for several producers, affecting more than 4,800 acres combined. Other projects helped support a grass seeding on 14 acres, and a project to install one mile of 2 wire electric fence for livestock. For our livestock water projects, one producer replaced a smaller poly water tank with a 36 foot galvanized steel tank. Another producer installed a solar well pump and maintenance to get water delivered to a grazing pasture and existing livestock tank and watering facilities. The total acres of pasture affected by installing these watering facilities and facility components totaled over 1,900 acres.

The results were impressive! Conservation practices include the augmentation of rotational grazing, and improved grazing with better access to water. With a 30-year or more lifespan on most of the conservation practices that have been implemented through these projects, there is the potential to reduce more than 17,000 tons of soil loss through wind erosion annually. This would be an extraordinary amount of soil preserved, especially during times of drought. The producers who implemented livestock water improvement projects will achieve potentially 30% or more efficiency gains, conserving thousands of gallons of water and reducing runoff from soil erosion. It also leads to less cattle stress as they can access grazing areas without having to travel far for water.

Bent Conservation District was honored to do a presentation of some of our recent conservation projects as well in June of 2026. We featured one of our completed fencing projects from the CSCB Supplemental Matching grant, along with our Biochar and Burrowing Owl Demonstrations. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Colorado State Conservation Board and our producers for their tireless commitment to conserving our working landscapes.