RUSH, COLO. (September 18, 2026) — Brett Gray Ranch, located in Colorado’s eastern plains, is the latest ranch to achieve the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Land Certification. Earned through the Audubon Conservation Ranching program, the certification recognizes working lands managed to support birds and biodiversity.
Audubon Conservation Ranching is a science-based certification program designed to help declining grassland bird populations by supporting the stewardship of grassland habitats and resilient ranching operations through bird-friendly land management. In the past 50 years, grassland birds have experienced the steepest population decline of any terrestrial biome, largely due to habitat loss, woody encroachment, and chemical use. Across the United States, more than 155 farms and ranches encompassing 4.5 million acres are now certified as bird-friendly through Audubon Conservation Ranching.
Brett Gray Ranch joins a growing network of 16 certified ranches across almost 750,000 acres working to conserve grasslands through bird-friendly land management in Colorado. Located about an hour east of Colorado Springs, Brett Gray Ranch is an almost 50,000-acre property owned by the Colorado State Land Board. For the past 17 years, Louis Martin and his team at Round River Resource Management, LLC have managed the ranch in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy. As a custom grazing management outfitter, their goal is to improve working lands such as Brett Gray Ranch through holistic and regenerative management.
To earn Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Land Certification, ranches must meet high standards of grazing management to promote grassland health and habitat heterogeneity, along with animal welfare and environmental sustainability, and all verified through an independent audit. Certified ranches may then sell their beef and bison products with the Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly seal to boost recognition among environmentally conscious consumers.
Brett Gray Ranch focuses on responsible grazing management to promote both ecological and economic sustainability. Their strong stewardship of native prairies, as well as wetland and riparian habitats, provides important rangeland avian habitat among numerous other wildlife resources. Through recent infrastructure development and the implementation of a planned rotational grazing system, the ranch has seen improvements in biological diversity, including a return of several tallgrass species to the property, as well as an increase in carrying capacity.
“By working with nature and the four ecosystem processes, we increase the diversity of both plant and animal species, improve the overall production of our natural resources, which results in an enhanced natural resource base that increases the profitability of our business and benefits both the ecosystem and society at large,” said Louis Martin, Owner of Round River Resource Management.
Eastern Colorado’s shortgrass prairie region provides crucial habitat for many bird species of conservation concern, such as Chestnut-collared Longspurs and Mountain Plovers, which rely on large, continuous stretches of open grassland, and are vulnerable due to rapid habitat loss and fragmentation. By joining the Audubon Conservation Ranching program, the Brett Gray Ranch brings in another almost 50,000 acres of land specifically managed to improve habitat for grassland birds. Their land will be monitored for population changes and improvement through Audubon’s annual avian monitoring.
“It is no accident that Brett Gray Ranch has one of the longest and most impressive bird species lists on eBird among ranches across the state,” said Louisa Kimmell, Range Ecologist for the Audubon Conservation Ranching program in Colorado. “Their longtime commitment to holistic management, with particular attention to enhancing riparian habitat through controlled intensive grazing, has shaped the land into the bird diversity hotspot it is today.”
To learn more about Audubon Conservation Ranching in Colorado, please contact Louisa Kimmell at Louisa.Kimmell@Audubon.org. For national program information, please contact ConservationRanching@Audubon.org.
About Audubon Conservation Ranching
Audubon Conservation Ranching partners with ranchers to sustain healthy grasslands, abundant birdlife, and resilient rural communities. Through our bird-friendly land certification and science-based approach, we empower land stewards to enhance habitat, improve soil health and water quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By purchasing products from Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching.
