Kane and Two Mile Ranch Overview

	Vermilion Cliffs and Echo Cliffs From the Kane Headquarters. (Click image to see larger photo)

The Grand Canyon Trust and The Conservation Fund jointly purchased–on September 28, 2005–the Kane and Two Mile ranches, which are located north of the Grand Canyon at the eastern end of the Arizona Strip.  The grazing allotments associated with the ranches share a 100-mile boundary with Grand Canyon National Park and they stretch from the Paria River to Kanab Creek and from the Grand Canyon to Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  The ranches include about 1,000 acres of deeded land, numerous water rights, buildings, and range improvements, and they hold grazing permits on more than 850,000 acres of public lands administered by the United States Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Arizona State Land Department.  The previous ranch owner grazed approximately 800 head on the Kane Ranch and about 1,000 head on the Two Mile Ranch.  All cattle were sold in 2002 and early 2003.  The Trust and The Conservation Fund have created North Rim Ranch LLC to hold title to both ranches, the permits, livestock, brands, facilities and other assets owned by the ranch.  Livestock grazing will resume in 2006.

Both ranches have tremendous ecological importance, significant social value, and spectacular beauty.  We have purchased these ranches with the goal of partnering with the USFS and BLM to manage livestock grazing and to do our part to maintain and restore their ecological, cultural, and scenic values. While the Conservation Fund was instrumental in purchasing the ranches, the Trust is responsible for managing them, as well as working with the agencies to undertake projects that reach beyond the livestock operation.  The grazing allotments are on public lands that will remain available for all activities allowed by the agencies who manage them.

The Kane-Two Mile Project is focused on two fundamental ventures: the livestock operation and on-the-ground restoration work.  John Heyneman, the manager of North Rim Ranch is responsible for the livestock operation.  Ethan Aumack, the Director of Restoration for the Trust, is responsible for the restoration work–including the volunteer program–as well as ensuring that sound science is used in all aspects of the project.  Rick Moore, Director of the Kane-Two Mile Project is responsible for oversight of the entire project.

The Trust has convened a Science Advisory Council to provide guidance and expertise for all aspects of the project, including an ambitious baseline ecological assessment that was completed in the fall of 2005.  Data gathered for the baseline assessment is a critical component of a restoration plan that will guide all aspects of the project, including the on-the-ground management of livestock.  Working with our agency partners, the Trust is designing a number of volunteer projects to help the agencies achieve goals that they have not been able to accomplish due to a lack of funding.  We hope to significantly increase funding for restoration work by using a coordinated approach for leveraging private, federal, and state funds.  We will partner with federal and state agencies to achieve the following goals.

Mission

To restore and maintain the ecological and scenic integrity of the magnificent landscape north of the Grand Canyon known as the Kane and Two Mile ranches.

Goals

• Maintain and restore productive grassland, shrubland and forest ecosystems.
• Protect unique and sensitive natural resources such as springs, ancient forests and remnants of native grasslands.
• Restore and maintain thriving, viable populations of a full range of native species.
• Maintain ecologically and economically sustainable land uses to benefit local economies and support ongoing management activities.
• Manage livestock grazing on a historic ranch in a manner consistent with restoration and maintenance of ecological and scenic integrity.
• Promote inclusive, conservation-based land management by engaging citizens and local, state, tribal and federal government agencies.

Maps of the Ranches and Allotments:

Regional Map
Major Features
Land Ownership
Allotments and Pastures
Assessment Plots and Data
Water Resource Study Area
Forest Overstory Assessment Plots

Photos of the Ranches and Allotments

Partners

The Conservation Fund
Kaibab National Forest
Arizona Strip BLM
Arizona Game and Fish Department

Contact: Rick Moore