The Dawson Elk Valley Ranch has a new owner – officially.

Five years after the Colfax County ranch was placed on the market, and one year after an agreement was announced, The Nature Conservancy has acquired the 50,000-acre property, once the site of the coal town of Dawson and two of the nation’s worst mine disasters.

The MIRR Ranch Group, the Denver-based company that brokered the sale, confirmed earlier this month that the global environmental organization had closed on the purchase.

“We appreciate the collaborative efforts of the seller and The Nature Conservancy’s team to navigate a complex process to arrive at a mutually beneficial result,” said broker Jeff Hubbard in a statement. “It is extremely gratifying to know this iconic wilderness property will now be protected in perpetuity under the stewardship of The Nature Conservancy.”

For its part, The Nature Conservancy confirmed the Dec. 15 purchase and said it is in the process of developing a management plan for the property.

Part of that plan is expected to be the sale of about 32,500 acres of timberland to the Forestry Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The purchase would be funded at least in part by a $50 million federal grant the state received last year from the U.S. Forest Service.

Here is the story I wrote for the Albuquerque Journal, which was published in its print edition on Dec. 29.