Preserving 22,000 Acres of Critical Arizona Habitat in Partnership with Rancher Cindy Tolle
We are excited to announce our latest investment with longstanding Iroquois Valley rancher Cindy Tolle in Cochise County, Arizona, at Diamond E. Ranch. Cindy (a biologist and environmental chemist), her family, and her team, Steven and Angie Terrell, are land stewards with decades of ranching experience across the West. Their multi-generational endeavor has US ranch hubs in the Midwest (267 acres in Missouri, 443 acres in Kansas) and the Black Hills (1,700 acres in South Dakota). This new hub at the Diamond E ranch is a 22,000-acre native grassland and rangeland ecosystem in southeastern Arizona, a critical habitat at the foothills of the Swisshelm mountains. Under Cindy’s stewardship, the ranch will become certified organic and an Audubon Conservation Ranch.
The cattle raised on the ranch are Criollo, a desert-adapted species, and are a part of their heritage beef supply chain for Evergreen Ranching and Diamond E. Beef. Criollo are perfect for this drought-prone area due to their efficient forage conversion, water use, breedback, and mothering qualities. Cindy’s team focuses on riparian and grassland habitat restoration through conservation water management tactics such as seasonal rain capture using rock detention structures and earthen berms. Additionally, the ranch is part of the Central Flyway adjacent to the Leslie Canyon Fish & Wildlife Refuge corridor to the east and Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge to the west. Dozens of rare species, including the Chiricauhua Leopard Frog, Yaqui Chub, Yaqui Top Minnow, and Mexican Long Nosed Bat, as well as over 270 species of birds (including the Elegant Trogan) depend on the ecologically critical habitat.
The financing of the ranch and the establishment of permanent ecological easements on the land are only possible due to the support of our community of impact-driven investors at Iroquois Valley and collaborative efforts with Dirt Capital Partners, The Conservation Fund, and Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). Through these partnerships, Cindy and her team have the critical support necessary to conserve this environmentally resilient desert grassland for many generations to come.
