Colorado Oil and Gas Compensatory Mitigation Easement Grants

Colorado Parks and Wildlife reimburses qualified land trusts for the transaction costs of perpetual conservation easements on private land in CPW-mapped high-priority habitat near oil and gas development, such as appraisals, mineral reports, surveys and closing costs. Landowners do not apply directly: a land trust certified by the Colorado Division of Conservation applies on your behalf, following each CPW region's eligible counties or big game data analysis units. Applications are open year-round and reviewed twice a year.

• Applicant must be a land trust currently certified by the Colorado Division of Conservation as qualified to operate in Colorado, in good standing.

• Projects must be permanent conservation easements (fee-title acquisition considered in some instances) and meet region-specific requirements (e.g., Northwest: Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield, Mesa or Jackson counties; Southwest: E-31 DAU; Northeast: listed pronghorn/deer DAUs; Southeast: mapped areas).

Typically paid as a reimbursement after the conservation easement closes; recipients submit closing documents and an itemized list of transaction costs, and send the easement's annual monitoring report to CPW by January 1 each year.

Published amounts: CPW cannot guarantee a minimum or maximum amount of available funds; available funding fluctuates with oil and gas permitting activity. Landowner attorney fees and third-party attorney fees above $20,000 are not funded.

Email the completed application worksheet and supporting documents to the CPW Regional Energy Liaison for the project's region with the subject line "SB-181 Mitigation Grant Application - (DATE OF SUBMISSION)".

Deadline text on the page: Currently Open: This grant application is open year round with a bi-annual review process. Applications received February 1 - July 31 are decided in August; August 1 - January 31 in February.