We hosted our fourth annual roundtable for public agencies on Aug. 20 in Larimer County. About 30 representatives from across the state joined us for a tour of the Bellvue-Watson Fish Hatchery; two presentations from public agencies; a networking lunch; and a tour of River Bluffs Open Space. 

This summer our team made some serious tracks to visit a few of our members across the state. Meeting with our members face-to-face is a unique opportunity to learn more about their work, meet their community members, and set foot on some gorgeous conserved land.

Oh, what a week it was! Spring Summit this year (May 8-10) was an event for the books. Over 150 members and partners traveled to Morgridge Commons in Glenwood Springs for the annual convening despite snowy roads and tunnel closures. We packed three full days with a water classroom, a water lab, a field trip to Cold Mountain Ranch, learning sessions, plenty of connection and networking opportunities, and Conservation Olympics.

Keep It Colorado and the Land Trust Alliance have partnered to award nearly $160,000 in grants to land trusts and conservation nonprofits, helping them strengthen and build programs to create a more diverse, equitable, inclusive and just conservation sector and advance organizational capacity. Investments from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) generously funded this initiative through Keep It Colorado’s Emerging Conservation Opportunities (ECO) program.

In the final day of the legislative session, the Colorado General assembly advanced a bill to extend and expand Colorado’s Conservation Easement Tax Credit to Governor Polis for his signature. Senate Bill 24-126 builds upon the immense success of the tax credit program by increasing the tax credit cap by $5 million for a total of $50 million annually, which will help meet the current demand and expand the state's conservation reach. 

A bill to extend and expand Colorado’s Conservation Easement Tax Credit was introduced in the State Senate. Senate Bill 126  aims to build upon the immense success of the tax credit program by eliminating the expiration dates of the Conservation Easement Oversight Commission and the Certified Holder program. It also proposes to raise the tax credit cap to $75 million to meet the current demand and expand the state's conservation reach.  

Colorado voters across the political spectrum say they want lawmakers to ramp up voluntary conservation of the state's privately-owned forests, farms, clean water sources and wildlife habitat - according to a new poll conducted by New Bridge Strategy on behalf of Keep It Colorado, with support from Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy. Comments from Lori Weigel, principal, New Bridge Strategy.

A new statewide survey of Colorado voters found broad, bipartisan support for continuing tax incentives for tools that enable landowners to voluntarily conserve land on their properties, and that increase available tax incentives for those willing landowners. The majority of respondents say they would also tell their state legislator to vote in favor of doubling the amount of land that can be conserved through Colorado’s system of existing tax incentives.

Across the state, counties and municipalities have ballot measures in place to support a variety of open space efforts, from trail maintenance, river restoration and wildfire mitigation, to land acquisition, wildlife protection and more. Four measures will be on Fall 2023 ballots - we summarize them, and offer a small glimpse of other initiatives already active within the state. Also available is a complete list of all ballot measures supporting protection of open spaces.

Keep It Colorado has received a grant of $25,000 from the Trinchera Blanca Foundation to help advance goals of Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation. Trinchera Blanca Foundation’s investment will enable Keep It Colorado to support its coalition members in making progress on the implementation phase of the roadmap.

Keep it Colorado, a conservation group working with local land trusts, has received an additional $1 million grant from Great Outdoors Colorado to protect farmlands and other privately-owned lands from future development. Comments from Amy Beatie, executive director, Keep it Colorado.

Today, GOCO’s board approved the second installment of a three-year, $3-million investment in conservation initiatives supported by Keep It Colorado. The investment will advance on-the-ground projects to protect lands through conservation efforts; demonstrate the economic return on investment of conservation; and grow land trusts’ capacity to engage more people in conservation while reflecting the multifaceted interests of Colorado’s diverse communities.

The Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement is working to make access to outdoor recreation more accessible to Spanish-speaking residents. Currently, 20% of the county’s residents, many of whom speak Spanish, do not have ready access to parks and open space. Comments from Jessica Foulis, executive director, Eagle Valley Land Trust.

75 coalition members gathered in person and online to talk policy. We highlighted the outcomes of the 2023 legislative session, celebrated the coalition's conservation achievements since 2018, and heard from members about their policy priorities for 2024.

We held our annual Public Agency Roundtable in Longmont, where Boulder County Parks and Open Space treated us to a walking tour of Pella Crossing. After the tour, we met to celebrate agencies' recent successes, discuss current challenges, share updates about Keep It Colorado's latest activities, and finally, network over a delicious lunch.

After a competitive application process, Keep It Colorado and Land Trust Alliance awarded $172,000 in funds to nine land trusts for 14 projects that advance diversity, equity and inclusion and organizational development initiatives in the conservation sector.

Keep It Colorado has hired Amy Beatie to usher the organization through its next era of leadership in the private lands conservation sector. She will take on her new role August 1. Amy brings a wealth of experience to Keep It Colorado, with an in-depth background in nonprofit and government leadership, professional expertise in legal matters, and a personal passion for conservation.

In late June we held a retreat in partnership with Land Trust Alliance that brought land trust leaders together to learn, reflect, explore and set goals to move us forward in this journey. Participants came away with new insights and perspectives on their work, and set some concrete short- and long-term goals for themselves and their organizations.

Josie Ruybal Abeyta saw a win-win in placing 821 acres of land passed down by her father into a conservation easement. Family members who preferred money would benefit from the sale of the easement and state tax credit incentives, and the family would still be able to use and enjoy Ruybal Fox Creek Ranch in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Comments from Josie Ruybal Abeyta, owner, Ruybal Fox Creek Ranch.

Keep It Colorado held its annual Spring Summit in Glenwood Springs in May. Roughly 90 coalition members and partners joined us for the three-day event which included field trips to nearby conserved land, a conservation showcase, learning sessions, trivia, and ample time to connect with friends and colleagues.

Conservationists have released a plan to protect key lands and waters in Colorado that people and nature need to survive and thrive in a changing climate. “Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation” calls for doubling the number of acres protected over the next 10 years, from 3.3 million to 6.6 million acres. Comments from Linda Lidov, interim executive director, Keep It Colorado.

The May family has worked a 16,000-acre ranch in southeastern Colorado, which has been recognized nationally for its sustainability and conservation efforts, for over three generations. Recovery efforts are still underway after a devastating wildfire swept across 10,000 acres in the spring of 2021. Comments from Dallas May, Colorado rancher and co-owner.

Keep It Colorado, a nonprofit coalition of conservation organizations, announces the publication of Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation. The roadmap sets goals to double the number of acres of land protected through conservation, double the engagement of Coloradans in conservation efforts and programs, and double the resources needed to support conservation work over the next decade.

Keep It Colorado’s 2022 annual report highlights the coalition’s accomplishments last year and celebrates the many milestones the community has reached in the realm of private land conservation.

Melissa Daruna, Keep It Colorado’s executive director since April 2019, has announced that she will step down from her position at Keep It Colorado starting in mid-March. The board of directors will soon be launching a search for a new executive director.