“Maybe the highest and best use of land doesn’t always mean just profitability, but social well-being and consciousness as well.”
With those words, longtime rancher and landowner Don Roberts captured the spirit behind one of the most significant land gifts in Sheridan County’s history. On Sheridan’s western edge, where foothills roll toward the Bighorns and open space shapes our sense of home, Don has donated land appraised at $3.75 million to create the Ridgetop Natural Area, Gillispie Draw Natural Area, and the Hidden Hoot Conservation Easement. Together with his 2019 Sheridan Heights Ranch Conservation Easement, his generosity adds almost 544 acres to nearly 2,100 acres of working ranchland, wildlife habitat, and open space on Sheridan’s western frontier permanently protected with SCLT.
This is more than a land donation. It reflects a vision for how Sheridan can grow while staying true to the character, openness, and ranching heritage that make this place extraordinary. It is also a profound expression of trust in the Sheridan Community Land Trust (SCLT) to steward these lands for generations to come.
A Leap of Faith: Opening Private Land for the Public Good
Don’s journey with SCLT began over a decade ago with an access easement that created the Soldier Ridge Trail. “When I donated the access easement to establish Soldier Ridge Trail in 2013, there was a leap of faith involved,” he said. As a rancher, protecting land had always meant protecting it from public access. “No trespassing signs were necessary and ubiquitous with ranching,” he noted.
But traveling outside Wyoming opened his eyes. “I realized how much demand there was for access to what I had always taken for granted—the ability to enjoy the wide-open spaces. In Sheridan, there was lots of beautiful private land surrounding the city, but nearly no way of getting access to enjoy it.”
That realization laid the groundwork for a new way of thinking: that his land could support both ranching and community recreation.
Trust Built Through Action
What ultimately made that leap possible was SCLT’s approach. “The Sheridan Community Land Trust demonstrated to me way back then that they were serious about doing their part to be a guardian of the land, while at the same time enabling access and education, thereby benefiting the lives of thousands.”
Over time, Don watched SCLT expand its stewardship and community work. “They became very active promoting not only good stewardship of the land, but also Sheridan’s rich history and all the things that make our area such a great place to live,” he said.
Don’s partnership with SCLT expanded as well. In 2018, he granted SCLT permission to begin building Hidden Hoot Trail, a popular destination for mountain bikers, trail runners, hikers, and walkers alike. In 2019, he used his right as a private property owner to donate the Sheridan Heights Ranch Conservation Easement, which forever protects working land around the first half of the Soldier Ridge Trail.
Seeing SCLT take on new projects and deliver consistently strong results built Don’s confidence. “Being impressed by how they have been eager to take on projects within their scope, and excel with the implementation, led me to imagine what good work they could do with actual ownership of the Sheridan foothills their trails ran through.”
A Vision for Shared Land and Shared Legacy
Don’s gift ensures that the sweeping vistas, wildlife habitat, working ranchlands, and cherished trails along Sheridan’s western edge will remain intact forever. But for Don, the meaning goes deeper than boundaries on a map. His donation creates a shared landscape where families can enjoy the wide-open spaces he once took for granted, where ranching continues to thrive, and where the community can feel rooted in both the land and its history.
Don’s land donation also adds to a broader network of conservation easements—some held by SCLT and some held by other partners—that, while not adjacent to Sheridan, have a tremendous impact on the community’s viewsheds, open space, and overall feel. These conserved acres help protect the visual character and rural identity that make Sheridan special, ensuring wildlife habitat and working lands remain part of its future. Taken together, they demonstrate what’s possible when landowners choose conservation and work with organizations like SCLT to help guide how the Sheridan area grows while keeping its beauty and sense of place intact.
“SCLT has proved to me they are always going to be a fixture in our community,” Don said. His confidence comes from years of watching SCLT care for the land, its stories, and the people connected to both. His gift ensures the foothills he has tended for so long will continue to enrich lives for generations.
SCLT will continue managing these lands in a way that honors Don’s intentions—welcoming community access on designated trails while keeping the surrounding acreage in productive agriculture. At the same time, landowners should know that inviting public access is never a requirement. A conservation easement with SCLT can protect land without opening it to trails or recreation. SCLT works closely with each interested landowner to craft an easement that reflects their goals and values, just as SCLT did with Don.
An Invitation to Others
For Don, this monumental gift isn’t the end of a story; it’s the beginning of a larger invitation. His hope is that others who love Sheridan County and have the ability to give will consider how their land or resources might shape the valley’s future. And he is clear about why he believes SCLT is the right place to entrust such gifts.
“That’s the important difference between giving a conservation easement or donation to the SCLT rather than another entity—SCLT’s continuing expansive community involvement, thereby enhancing the lives of so many.”
Don has watched SCLT’s work deepen over time, from trail stewardship to historic preservation to community education. That broad commitment, he says, is what ensures these gifts don’t just protect land—they strengthen the community around it.
“With the deeding of this land, and hopefully more conservation easements and donations to come from others, the SCLT will be doing its part in promoting and preserving the legacy of the Sheridan valley.”
His generosity sets a powerful example: that land can be a legacy, that stewardship can be shared, and that the choices we make today can positively shape our community’s lives for generations to come.
