By Jason Swann

I live in Denver. I drink tap water from my kitchen sink, hike close to home when I can, worry about wildfire smoke every summer, and try, like many families, to keep up with the rising cost of living. I don’t own land. I don’t ranch. I don’t farm.

And yet one of the most important public investments shaping my daily life is something most Denverites rarely think about: conservation easements on private land across Colorado.

Conservation easements are voluntary agreements that permanently protect land from development while keeping it in private ownership. They’re often associated with rural places, wide-open ranches, mountain valleys, or wildlife habitat far from the city. But the truth is, conservation easements quietly deliver real, everyday benefits to people living in Denver and other Front Range communities. I know, I visit many of these places myself to hunt, fish and hike.

Start with water. Much of the water that flows into Denver’s taps originates on privately owned land — headwaters, wetlands and working landscapes that filter, store, and slowly release water downstream. When those lands are conserved, they protect water quality and reduce costly treatment needs.

When they’re developed, paved over, or fragmented, the public pays the price, through higher water bills, infrastructure costs, and increased flood risk. From an urban perspective, conservation easements are a form of upstream insurance.

The same is true for wildfire. Conserved lands often serve as buffers around communities, reduce the pace and intensity of development in fire-prone areas, and support land management practices that lower risk. Anyone who lived through the Marshall Fire or weeks of smoke-filled skies understands that wildfire isn’t just a rural problem; it’s a public health and economic issue that hits cities hard.

Then there’s food and the cost of living. Conservation easements help keep farms and ranches operating instead of being sold off for development. That supports Colorado’s local food system and rural economies, but it also matters to Denver residents who want reliable, healthy and locally grown food sources in an era of supply chain disruptions and rising prices. Protecting working lands is one way we maintain regional resilience instead of outsourcing everything farther away.

And of course, there’s outdoor access. Denver’s identity, like my own, is inseparable from the outdoors. Many of the places we recreate, open space near the metro area, trails, local parks, and scenic landscapes we escape to on weekends, exist because land was conserved before it was lost forever. Conservation easements help ensure that growth doesn’t erase the very qualities that make Colorado livable and desirable.

Some critics argue that conservation easements are just tax breaks for wealthy landowners. That framing is untrue and misses the bigger picture. These agreements are voluntary, permanent, and come with real costs for landowners, counties and municipalities, who give up development rights for conservation. In return, the public receives lasting benefits, clean water, reduced wildfire risk, recreational open space, wildlife habitat and economic resilience.

Independent research shows every dollar Colorado invests in conservation easements; the public receives anywhere between $37 and $64 in return value. That’s not charity. That’s smart, preventative investment, exactly the kind cities like Denver depend on to manage growth without sacrificing quality of life.

Right now, Colorado faces a quiet but serious risk. Demand for conservation easements has outpaced available funding, and without legislative action, the state could see a multi-year pause in new conservation projects. That pause wouldn’t just affect rural landowners; it would ripple downstream to cities like Denver, where we rely on the benefits those conserved lands provide.

As a Denver resident, I support conservation easements not because I’m nostalgic for the past, but because I’m realistic about the future. Clean water, lower wildfire risk, accessible outdoor spaces, and stable food systems don’t happen by accident. They require foresight, and policies that recognize how deeply urban and rural Colorado are connected. And I can’t imagine a Colorado without them.

Supporting conservation easements is one of the most practical, cost-effective ways we can protect the things that make Denver a good place to live — today and for generations to come.

Jason Swann is the conservation finance director at the Trust for Public Land, leading efforts to expand outdoor access and scale sustainable conservation funding across the western U.S.