Editor’s Note: We plan to republish this in-depth article from Aspen Journalism in several parts over the next few weeks. This is part one.
RBC | Nearly two hours east of Grand Junction on a remote dirt road on the Grand Mesa is a nondescript, shallow, sage-brush-covered valley where two creeks meet.
The site, at 8,200 feet in elevation, is home to a wooden corral where ranchers with grazing permits gather their livestock and to…