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  Investing[Back to Investing Main]Investing in InfrastructureForty miles north of Steamboat Springs, the rippling currents of the Little Snake River converge at the site of the most expensive trout waters in the American West, Three Forks Ranch. This 200,000-acre outdoor mecca straddles the Colorado-Wyoming border, but up till recently it wasn’t such an oasis. First engineers were hired. Then plans were readied. Finally, the heavy equipment operators arrived. Five million dollars later, the largest private stream rehabilitation in U.S. history was complete. “Early photos and surveys showed the river to be much more serpentine than was the case after cattlemen and road crews finished with it,” explains ranch manager Jay Linderman. “We put the river back where it belongs.” The ranch now boasts 16 miles of winding waters with 30 oxbow ponds. Huge rocks create step dams that aerate water and form deep pools for rainbow trout. “Five million is a lot of money,” says Linderman. “But re-building this river was good conservation. And it’s paying off.” Three Forks Ranch (www.threeforksranch.com) is almost 100 percent booked, and construction on a new lodge will be complete in 2007. – Wayne van Zwoll |
