Ghost Ranch plans to protect 6,000 acres of land under conservation plan

ABIQUIÚ — The sweeping vistas that inspired painter Georgia O’Keeffe and continue to attract streams of solitude-seeking visitors will be officially made off-limits to future development.

Under a plan to be announced Tuesday, nearly 6,000 acres of land, water and wildlife habitat at the Ghost Ranch near Abiquiú will be protected under a conservation easement.

The easement, which is a voluntary agreement that keeps current private land ownership in place, will allow tours and other current activities to continue. That includes seasonal cattle-grazing by about 25 local ranchers who manage their herds by horseback.

But it will prohibit commercial development in the designated areas into perpetuity, meaning no construction of vacation homes, luxury hotels, data centers or other projects.

David Evans, the CEO of the Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center, told reporters the conservation plan has been discussed for years but the different parties involved had been unable to reach a deal.

“I want that experience of this richness and beauty to be preserved, so everyone can experience it the way I have,” said Evans, who took over day-to-day operations of Ghost Ranch last year and grew up visiting the site with his family.

He said the area to be protected includes the Hayden Quarry, a significant site for excavating dinosaur fossils, including the discovery of a species of Rauisuchid, a type of crocodile-like predators.

It also contains several film sites, serving as a backdrop for the 2023 “Oppenheimer” film and the 2008 movie “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” among other films.

The conservation easement plan is being divided into two phases, with the larger first phase on track to be finished by as soon as the end of 2026, said Jonathan Hayden, executive director of the New Mexico Land Conservancy.

A smaller second phase encompassing one of O’Keeffe’s former homes in New Mexico — another is located in nearby Abiquiú — would then be undertaken.

The group is working with the Ghost Ranch foundation on the conservation easement plan, which is being funded with nearly $930,000 from the state’s Land of Enchantment Fund to cover transaction costs. That fund was created by state lawmakers in 2023 as a way to help pay for conservation projects statewide.

Hayden said the conservation easement was not prompted by any specific development plans, but noted the construction of vacation homes in subdivisions along other parts of Abiquiú Lake.

“We think now is the time to be proactive, instead of waiting for the time when someone is proposing that,” he said.

A colorful history amid the red rocks

The Ghost Ranch, which got its name from tales of hauntings by former occupants of the land, existed for decades as a remote northern New Mexico dude ranch and spiritual center.

The 21,000-acre ranch was given to the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. in the 1950s for use as a retreat center by former owner Arthur Pack, a wealthy environmentalist who had previously sold a parcel of the land to O’Keeffe.

The Kentucky-based church then managed Ghost Ranch until 2018, when it agreed to lease the land to the National Ghost Ranch Foundation, a nonprofit group, for day-to-day operations.

Under the terms of the proposed conservation easement, the New Mexico Land Conservancy will hold the easement in trust. The easements will not affect the 550-acre ranch headquarters that includes a welcome center, horse stables, lodging and museums.

Conservation easements also typically provide tax benefits for landowners, in exchange for giving up future development rights.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised the plan, while thanking state officials and nonprofit leaders for making it happen.

“This conservation plan is a great example of what can happen when people work together to preserve what we love about New Mexico,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

“We’re excited to leave a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy the stunning landscapes and vistas that drew Georgia O’Keeffe to northern New Mexico and continue to define this region’s incomparable beauty,” the governor added.

What will the conservation plan entail?

Currently, all of the land set to be covered by the conservation easement is only open to the public via tours or hikes authorized by Ghost Ranch.

Going forward, Evans said there are still discussions to be had about whether some of the land will be opened to public access.

But he said the conservation plan is intended to keep the Ghost Ranch’s history intact, while also making the site a trailblazer of sorts. He also said additional parts of the land could be protected by similar conservation easements in the future.

During a recent visit, Evans said the native grasslands and rock formations that dot Ghost Ranch look different from day to day, depending on the position of the sun and weather conditions.

For his part, Hayden said the Ghost Ranch project is one of the most exciting projects the Santa Fe-based New Mexico Land Conservancy has worked on its 20-plus year history.

“We want to preserve that view that’s so iconic,” said Hayden.