BAR BC RANCH PROTECTS 507 ACRES ALONG SPRING GULCH ROAD

The Jackson Hole Land Trust has announced that Ross Perot, Jr., Chairman of Hillwood, has donated a conservation easement on 507 acres of the Bar BC Ranch along Spring Gulch Road in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The easement protects a spectacular open meadow that extends for over a mile along the west side of Spring Gulch Road, just south of the Gros Ventre River bridge in an area with a rich agricultural history. The easement strictly limits sub-division of the property in a manner that will minimize impacts on the property’s wildlife habitat and scenic appeal.

Teton County’s current land use regulations would have allowed Hillwood to develop 14 houses on 35-acre lots or as many as 115 houses in clustered development on the 507 acres. The easement limits the property to four developable home sites.

“Recognizing the unique nature of the Bar BC meadow, we decided that it would be best for the Jackson Hole community if we protected the open space of this incredible valley along Spring Gulch Road,” said Fred Balda, President of Hillwood Residential. The Bar BC Ranch contains important wildlife habitat. Mule deer use the southern portion of the property to move throughout the valley in a north-south direction. In addition, Spring Creek, a spawning creek critical to the Snake River cutthroat trout population, cuts across the south-east portion of the property.

Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Land Trust, Laurie Andrews, added “the Hillwood Bar BC conservation easement represents a significant contribution towards land protection in Jackson Hole. It is an important step in the preservation of the wildlife, sweeping views and ranching along Spring Gulch Road. We are also thankful for the conservation buyers of the Bar BC meadow, John and Georgene Tozzi, whose willingness to purchase this protected property played an important role in facilitating its conservation.”

After Hillwood decided to place the easement on the property, John and Georgene Tozzi expressed interest in buying the 507 acres.

“This property is one of the most scenic open spaces in all of Jackson Hole, “said Bill Campbell, Board President of the Land Trust. “Spring Gulch is critical to our valley, not only because of its scenic beauty and historical value, but because of its importance to wildlife and its ability to move from Grand Teton National Park and the Elk Refuge to the southern portion of the valley. We are proud to have helped preserve these important values and we thank Mr. Perot and the Tozzis, for their commitment to land conservation.”

Hillwood purchased the 1,374-acre Bar BC Ranch in October 2004 from the estate of Mary Mead. The remaining 867 acres have been divided into 17 home sites ranging from 35 to 50 acres each. The ranch home sites feature a true western feel while maintaining the rustic character and pristine beauty of Spring Gulch.

The property was formerly part of a 4th generation ranching operation run by the Mead family and is surrounded to the east and south by Lucas family lands. The meadow also lies just west of a large tract of land protected by a conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy, and is within one half-mile of the boundary of Grand Teton National Park.

Founded in 1980, the Jackson Hole Land Trust is a private, non-profit organization that has helped protect over 17,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat, scenic open spaces and working ranchlands in and around Jackson Hole. For more information, please call 307 733-4707 or visit their website at http://www.jhlandtrust.org/.

Hillwood, a Perot company, is ranked as one of the top commercial real estate developers in the country and the top residential developer in Dallas-Fort Worth. The company’s developments currently house facilities for 81 companies listed on either the Fortune 500, Global 500 or Forbes List of Top Private firms. Hillwood is best known for its development of the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas development, located 15 miles northwest of DFW Airport; the $420-million American Airlines Center and Victory district near downtown Dallas; and AllianceCalifornia, the 2,000-acre logistics center near Los Angeles.