VERMEJO
550,000 Acres | Northern New Mexico & Southern Colorado
A vast living laboratory where forests, grasslands, rivers, wildlife, and working landscapes are being restored at one of the largest privately conserved properties in the American West.
A LANDSCAPE MOSAIC
Where ecosystems interact
Vermejo spans an extraordinary range of elevations, habitats, and ecological communities, from shortgrass prairie and montane meadows to alpine watersheds and dense mixed-conifer forests. This diversity creates a dynamic mosaic of landscapes that supports an exceptional abundance of wildlife and ecological resilience.
No single ecosystem defines Vermejo. Its strength comes from the way forests, rivers, grasslands, wetlands, and wildlife interact as one interconnected system. These natural relationships influence everything from water movement and soil health to fire behavior and biodiversity across the landscape.
Did you know?
Vermejo is home to 350 bird species, 76 mammal species, and 30 fish species.
RESTORING FIRE & FORESTS
Forests that remember fire
For more than a century, fire suppression altered the forests of the American West, creating unnaturally dense stands vulnerable to severe wildfire, insect outbreaks, and drought stress. At Vermejo, forestry and prescribed fire are being used to restore healthier, more resilient forest conditions across the landscape.
Since 1996, more than 100,000 acres have been treated through thinning, regeneration management, and prescribed fire. These efforts help reduce the use of hazardous fuels, improve wildlife habitat, protect watersheds, and restore ecological processes that have historically shaped these forests for generations.
WATER IS THE STORY
Restoring rivers, wetlands, and watersheds
In the arid Southwest, the health of the land is inseparable from the health of its water. Vermejo’s rivers, streams, wetlands, and headwaters support wildlife, reduce erosion, recharge groundwater, and sustain ecosystems far beyond property boundaries.
Over the past two decades, restoration projects across the landscape have focused on improving riparian health, stabilizing stream systems, restoring wet meadows, and rebuilding native vegetation along waterways. These efforts help create healthier habitat for species like Rio Grande cutthroat trout and beavers while improving the resilience of the broader watershed.
Restoration is not about recreating the past exactly as it was. It is about rebuilding the conditions that allow life to return.
WILDLIFE & REWILDING
Bringing native species back
Vermejo supports an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including American bison, elk, black bear, mountain lion, migratory birds, native trout, and countless other species that depend on large, connected landscapes.
Decades of restoration work – improving forest health, restoring waterways, rebuilding grasslands, and protecting habitat connectivity – have helped create conditions where native wildlife can thrive.
“To bring back the bison is really incredible.” – Robert E. Turner
Vermejo supports an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including American bison, elk, black bear, mountain lion, migratory birds, native trout, and countless other species that depend on large, connected landscapes.
Decades of restoration work – improving forest health, restoring waterways, rebuilding grasslands, and protecting habitat connectivity – have helped create conditions where native wildlife can thrive.
“To bring back the bison is really incredible.” – Robert E. Turner
CONSERVATION MEETS HOSPITALITY
Experiencing a restored landscape
At Vermejo, conservation is not hidden behind the scenes. Guests experience restored landscapes firsthand through immersive outdoor experiences that connect people to the land and the ecological processes shaping it.
From the LEED Silver-certified Costilla Lodge to hands-on conservation activities and guided wildlife experiences, hospitality at Vermejo reflects a broader belief that people are more likely to protect landscapes they deeply experience and understand.
A LIVING LABORATORY FOR THE FUTURE
Science in service of the land
Vermejo serves as a large-scale living laboratory for ecoagriculture, restoration, and applied conservation science. Researchers, land managers, universities, and conservation partners collaborate across the landscape to explore solutions to some of the West’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Research and stewardship efforts focus on forest resilience, watershed health, grazing systems, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and climate adaptation – advancing practical, real-world approaches that support both ecological integrity and working landscapes.
THE WILD HEART OF VERMEJO
Vermejo is more than a conserved landscape. It is a demonstration of what becomes possible when restoration, science, stewardship, and long-term vision work together across generations.