Colorado Rep. Meghan Lukens was honored by the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust during a Friday reception at the Steamboat Art Museum.

According to a news release, the Democrat from Steamboat was recognized by the organization for her bipartisan legislative efforts to bolster the state’s conservation easement tax credit law.

“Many of our neighbors are good stewards of the land — and this new law makes it easier for small or family operations to access a conservation easement tax credit while preserving the beautiful spaces we call home,” Lukens said in a statement. “Together, we’re taking a strong step forward to boost local and agricultural economies by keeping families on their land for generations to come.” 

Conservation easements are used to preserve wildlife habitat, encourage watershed restoration and maintain open space. According to the release, the law reconfigured the conservation easement tax credit program to benefit smaller or family-operated farms, ranches and private land stewards to help meet the backlog of projects and the demand for credits.