Welcome to the latest carbon-saving project from Cool Effect, the May Ranch in Prowers County, Colorado. A vast expanse of pristine grasslands on the Great Plains, it is stunningly beautiful, and Cynthia May, along with her two sons, Dallas and Bon, hope to keep it that way. Planet Earth hopes so, too.

The economic pressures to develop America’s grasslands are intense. At the May Ranch, with the Steamboat Springs ski resort just five miles away, developers clamor to build ski mansions or shopping centers or to convert the land into agribusiness farms. Almost half of Colorado’s grasslands are already gone, and another 90,000 acres are lost every year.

The May family has refused to sell because the loss of grasslands is the loss of a magnificent landscape, a way of life, and habitat for a vast diversity of plants, animals, and migratory birds. But also, for our climate, grasslands are one of Earth’s great carbon reservoirs, storing as much as 200 tonnes of carbon per acre. At 14,500 acres, there’s a lot of carbon under the May Ranch. When grasslands are disturbed, as much as 50%–70% of that carbon can be released as CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Support for this project has been remarkable, helping the May family to place an easement on their ranch to conserve this precious land forever. It is one of the largest private grassland conservations ever, and is attracting the attention of the public and of other ranchers who wish to protect their land and protect the climate.

Cool Effect is thrilled to offer this project, and proud to have your support, helping to preserve a great natural habitat, and helping Planet Earth by keeping that huge store of carbon underground, just where it belongs. Thank you!