WEBSTER RANCH
Lake Creek
In 1998, longtime Vail
resident George Webster protected the 377-acre Webster Ranch with a conservation
easement in order to maintain forever the open space, agricultural productivity,
wildlife habitat and scenic qualities of the land. The marsh land is
particularly good habitat for water fowl. Located at the south end of East Lake
Creek, the property is within a quarter mile of the Holy Cross Wilderness. It
serves as an important buffer property to the wilderness, providing winter range
for elk, as well as habitat for wide-ranging animals such as black bear and
mountain lion.
Historically the ranch
was homesteaded in the late 1800’s. From about 1900 to the mid 1920’s, the
property was used to grow lettuce for the Denver market. Webster acquired the
land in 1971. George, who died in early 2002, recognized the many and diverse conservation values of
this pristine property, which he enjoyed as his mountain retreat. Today, his
daughters Debby and Molly carry on this passion for the ranch, maintaining it as
private property.
