Some facts about Cow Creek Ranch and the modest development we have planned: Cow Creek Ranch is located 40 minutes from Pecos, while Santa Fe is located 20 minutes from Pecos; the ranch sits at 8,600 feet with the closest residence over three miles away and 500 feet lower in altitude; the valley that the ranch sits in is isolated from other residences, and the property itself has served as a commercial property for over 130 years.
Cow Creek Ranch has reduced its request to San Miguel County to a development of only 35 lots. Over time, the lot sales will fund the ranch’s infrastructure and debt reduction, becoming a self-sustaining operation that is not dependent on a single individual’s financing. Again, this ranch has operated as a commercial property in one form or another for most of its 130-year history.
Converting Cow Creek Ranch to a hospitality-oriented project with lots of potential usage and significant growth opportunities is not our goal. What we desire is a minimal-impact, self-sustaining, modest community development focused on catch-and-release fly fishing.
Within the property is well over three miles of a unique spring creek fishery that we have worked carefully and thoughtfully to preserve and care for. A healthy fishery is dependent on a healthy ecosystem and extremely clean water. We have removed the horses and cattle from the property to reduce pollution from the herds, and the minimal agriculture on the property is all organic to ensure activity on our property does not pollute the stream.
The cabins we plan to develop will be much farther from the creek than the buildings that already exist, some of which are over 100 years old. Water usage in a modest, seasonally occupied residential development will be much less than would be for a resort development. No cabins will be built in either the flood plain or in agricultural zones, and they will be off the valley floor and separated from the creek by a significant distance. Our seasonal residents will be engaged in caring for the property and will have significantly less impact than full-time resort residents would. No one is being displaced; we are, however, adding taxpayers to the county.
The Peters family has been involved in land conservation and real estate for many years. There is constant speculation about our properties in town, but little is known or understood of the traditional agricultural practices and natural reserves we work hard to maintain and improve in order to preserve lands. Our intention with Cow Creek Ranch is to create only modest usage well below the minimums mandated by state and county rules. We are not developing for profit, but instead planning a fishing-oriented community that will be highly focused on conservation, preventing water pollution and controlling water use.
We are fortunate to have three local young men working on Cow Creek Ranch to restore and improve the property. In the past four years, they have done more to benefit the property than has been done in the last 50 years, and their work has positively contributed to preserving the entirety of Cow Creek. The irresponsible reporting and salacious gossip surrounding Cow Creek Ranch have diminished their hard work and integrity.
The artificial need to create scandals that do not exist and spread misinformation or half-truths, seems to be the rule of the day in America. It would befit the reporter and the public to fully educate themselves before casting stones.
To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson: “People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.”
Gerald Peters is an established member of Santa Fe’s cultural and business community, having an allegiance to New Mexico that began with his enrollment in 1966 at St. John’s College, Santa Fe. Peters is the largest private employer in the city of Santa Fe.
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