The American West is overrun by the very people who worship it. As more of us relocate to enjoy the West’s wide open spaces, beautiful scenery, fresh water, and abundant wildlife, these are the same qualities most threatened. Meanwhile, it is increasingly difficult for ranchers and farmers to sustain their historic lifestyle and earn a decent living on increasingly valuable land: many ranchers reach the logical conclusion to sell out. The result of this migration pressure is ranchland fragmentation: the process of subdividing historic open landscapes to non-productive ranchettes, incurring the associated loss of habitat and open vistas so highly valued. Ranchland fragmentation has been identified as one the top threats to the future integrity of real property in the American West. Experts estimate that 50 percent of Western ranches will change hands in the next 20 years, while previously "sleepy" towns located near wild lands will see exponential growth as a significant portion of the baby boom generation retires from urban centers and a new electronically mobile generation chooses to live and work in a recreational and scenic paradise. We believe the confluence of these trends creates opportunity for thoughtful real estate investments, grounded in the idea of restoration, enhancement and preservation of the Western landscape.

Stillwater Development, by acquiring Stillwater Ranch properties with excellent conservation and recreational potential, develops an asset strategy for each property so that it can be made economically viable while still retaining its natural beauty and conservation quality, and re-positions the property for sale to end users for long term investment and land stewardship. Stillwater also develops Stillwater Communities in ways that are sensitive to local, cultural and ecological traditions in growing western towns These projects provide in-fill settlements which divert growth pressure from rural open landscapes that are so important to maintain.

Stillwater’s mission is to generate value-added investment yields by enhancing, restoring and repositioning threatened lands and buildings in the American West. These unique properties -- carefully identified, thoughtfully restored and strategically enhanced by Stillwater Development -- offer tremendous value-creation potential as the pressures of population growth make them the country’s most precious disappearing resource