The Middle Park Conservation District (MPCD) is a political subdivision of the State of Colorado formed under the Colorado Soil Conservation Act of 1937.  It is located high in the western slope of the Continental Divide at the headwaters of the Colorado River in Grand and Summit Counties.  The average elevation is 8,000′ and above.  The topography is characterized by rough, steep sloping mountains, gently sloping to rolling mesas, and valley bottoms dissected by numerous creeks and rivers. Most lands adjacent to these drainages are flood irrigated pastures and hay meadows, although some of those lands are succumbing to development.

Middle Park, in its entirety, is approximately 1,592,000 acres in size (~1,196,000 in Grand and ~396,000 in Summit). The MPCD boundaries include approximately 1,170,000 acres (~774,000 acres in Grand County and all of Summit County’s ~396,000 acres). According to 2017 estimated population figures by the US Census Bureau, about 15,321 people live in Grand County and about 30,585 live in Summit County.

District Transparency Documents

Landownership in Middle Park (Grand and Summit combined):

71%Federal Government (USFS, BLM, NPS)

15%Agriculture/Forest Ag

7%Residential, Commercial, Planned Development

6%Other Natural Resources/Conservation Easements/Backcountry/Open Space/Recreation

1%Mining