Governor Polis Appoints Ken Salazar as Special Envoy to Resolve San Luis Valley Land Dispute
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has appointed Ken Salazar as a special envoy to mediate a long-standing land dispute in the San Luis Valley. The conflict involves the billionaire owner of the Cielo Vista Ranch and the heirs of a land grant dating back to 1844, predating Colorado's statehood. Salazar, a native of the San Luis Valley with a distinguished career as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Interior, Colorado Attorney General, and Ambassador to Mexico, has been tasked with facilitating conversations and developing recommendations for a resolution. The 83,000-acre ranch in Costilla County is central to the dispute, which stems from the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant, a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Settlers and their descendants were granted access rights to hunt, graze livestock, and gather timber on the land, rights that have been contested through decades of litigation despite private ownership changes. Governor Polis emphasized the need to move beyond perpetual conflict and ensure local Colo... 
