Law gives San Luis Valley control over disruptive fences

SAN LUIS • Residents of this rural San Luis Valley community, who have been fighting for decades for access to a mountain landscape guaranteed to their ancestors, celebrated a significant victory Tuesday.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis visited San Luis to sign into law a bill that gives local governments authority to regulate large fences on private property, legislation that was launched when Texas billionaire William Harrison constructed an 8.5-foot barbed wire fence across more than 20 miles of his massive Cielo Vista Ranch.

Tuesday felt more like a community celebration than a bill-signing ceremony, with more than 100 people gathering on a weekday afternoon. Many of them were descendants of Hispanic settlers who were guaranteed access to the area known to them as "La Sierra" for livesto