Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project Enters Implementation Phase Across Nearly 5,000 Acres

WRAY, Colo. — After nearly four years of planning, collaboration, grant development, and project coordination, the Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project has officially entered the implementation phase.

Led by the Yuma County Conservation District (YCCD) in partnership with local, state, and federal conservation organizations, the project spans nearly 5,000 acres within the former Bonny Reservoir footprint and surrounding rangelands. The demonstration is designed to showcase how adaptive grazing, innovative technology, and collaborative conservation can work together to improve rangeland health, restore wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire fuels, strengthen drought resilience, and create a model that can be replicated throughout eastern Colorado.

"This project represents years of collaboration, planning, and commitment from many outstanding partners," said Margaret Lenz, President of the Yuma County Conservation District Board of Supervisors. "We're excited to see the project move from planning into implementation and begin demonstrating how conservation, technology, and agriculture can work together to benefit both the land and the people who depend on it."

Following the draining of Bonny Reservoir in 2011 to meet the requirements of the Republican River Compact, the former reservoir footprint and surrounding rangelands experienced dramatic changes. Without regular management, dense stands of cottonwoods, salt cedar, Russian olive, invasive plants, noxious weeds, and excessive grass and other non-beneficial vegetation expanded across the landscape. The Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project was developed to demonstrate how carefully managed livestock grazing can become an important conservation tool to reduce excessive biomass, improve rangeland health, enhance wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, and support long-term restoration of this unique landscape.

The project recently reached several important milestones.

The Bureau of Reclamation completed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review for the entire Bonny Reservoir property, providing the final environmental approval necessary for implementation.

Under the leadership of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, construction of the portable livestock water infrastructure has been completed, allowing livestock to be strategically distributed throughout the project's grazing quadrants.

Local producer and project cooperator, Darrell Smith, has moved cattle onto the property, officially beginning the adaptive grazing demonstration. The Halter virtual fencing system is now operational, with GPS-enabled collars installed on the cattle. Since June 19, Darrell and Arlene Smith have been working closely with the Halter team to train both themselves and the cattle on the virtual fencing system. The technology allows grazing boundaries to be adjusted remotely without constructing permanent interior fencing, providing flexibility to adapt grazing as vegetation conditions change.

Another innovative component of the project is RangeView, a satellite-based rangeland monitoring and grazing management platform funded through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Throughout the grazing season, RangeView will use high-resolution satellite imagery and advanced analytics to monitor forage production, grazing utilization, vegetation response, weather conditions, and landscape changes. Combined with drone imagery and on-the-ground monitoring, the project will generate valuable information to evaluate adaptive grazing management and guide future restoration efforts.

Recognizing the growing conservation challenges across the Bonny landscape, the Yuma County Conservation District brought together producers, agencies, conservation organizations, and funding partners to develop the Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project. The project demonstrates how carefully managed livestock grazing, innovative technology, and collaborative conservation can restore rangeland health, improve wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk, and strengthen drought resilience across nearly 5,000 acres.

Financial support for the project has been provided through the Habitat Partnership Program, Mule Deer Foundation, the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts Demonstration Grant and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

As implementation continues, project partners will monitor vegetation response, wildlife habitat improvements, forage utilization, and overall rangeland recovery throughout the grazing season. The project includes a comprehensive monitoring program utilizing satellite-based monitoring, drone imagery, vegetation surveys, photo point monitoring, wildlife observations, and grazing utilization assessments to document changes across the landscape over time.

Later this year, YCCD and its partners plan to host a Bonny Reservoir Field Day, providing producers, conservation districts, agencies, and the public an opportunity to see the project firsthand and learn about adaptive grazing management, virtual fencing, satellite-based rangeland monitoring, and collaborative partnerships making the project possible. Results from the project will also be shared through presentations, reports, conferences, and educational outreach to encourage similar conservation efforts across Colorado.

"This project is about much more than grazing cattle," said Tanya Fell, District Manager for the Yuma County Conservation District. "It's about demonstrating how partnerships, innovation, and science can work together to improve our natural resources while supporting the producers who steward our working lands every day. We hope Bonny becomes a model that inspires similar conservation efforts throughout Colorado."