Mount Callahan and Mount Callahan Saddle

Location: Garfield County
Size: 680 acres
Designated: 1987
Landowner: Private

The Mount Callahan and Mount Callahan Saddle Natural Areas contains high quality remnants of Great Basin grasslands and barren communities and supports populations of rare plant species including Roan Cliffs blazing star (Mentzelia rhizomata) and sun-loving meadowrue (Thalictrum heliophilum). The property also provides excellent examples of a number of rare native plant communities and one of only a few high quality grassland communities in Colorado.

Owned by Occidental Petroleum Company (Oxy), this natural area is a great example of how a state agency and a private petroleum company can work cooperatively toward the protection and preservation of the Parachute penstemon. Oxy has engaged in voluntary efforts to protect this rare plant including buffer zones, weed control, motorized travel limits, and funding of annual population studies.