India, Oct. 6 -- John Denver gave a new direction to 957 acres of Colorado land when he acquired the Windstar estate in 1979. A 2013 statement from Windstar Land Conservancy and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) says the land had previously been a sheep ranch and later served as a retreat center for St. Benedict's Monastery. Denver, a famous musician and environmentalist, dreamed of creating an environmental research facility on the estate that would also provide housing for its staff.

Ultimately, the property was sold, but much of the acreage remained protected from future development. The 2013 announcement notes that a perpetual conservation easement placed on the property in 1996 protects 927 of the 957 acres from development. Aspen ...