About Keep It Colorado
Keep It Colorado is a statewide coalition of organizations and experts working to advance a unified vision and plan for conservation of private and public lands. We also work to maximize, prioritize, and incentivize the voluntary conservation of private lands (i.e., property not owned by the government). Private landowners play an essential role in creating healthy lands and waters, which we need not only to survive but also to sustain a high quality of life. More than half of land in Colorado is privately owned, making landowners a primary partner in protecting the natural landscapes Coloradans love. Since 1965, Colorado families have conserved more than 3.3 million acres of land that contribute clean water to drink and clean air to breathe; vital local food sources produced by ranchers and farmers; healthy habitats and safe passages for wildlife; and parks and open spaces where we can connect with nature.
Our coalition brings together a broad set of conservation-minded organizations, partners, and funders to advance the scale of high-quality land conservation and make strategic, thoughtful choices about conservation efforts across Colorado. The coalition includes nonprofit land trusts and public agencies, such as county and open space agencies, that directly support private landowners who choose to conserve their properties, or that directly acquire and protect wildlife habitat and public park space.
Keep It Colorado also advocates for public policy, secures funding, builds public support, and creates opportunities for problem-solving and driving innovation for conservation. A few of our key initiatives include increasing incentives for private landowners to conserve their land; driving the development of Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation; and advocating to enhance conservation policies that protect all the things Coloradans love and want to protect in this great state.
Keep It Colorado: Creating a Colorado Where People, Lands, Waters and Wildlife Thrive
What Sets Us Apart
A plethora of organizations are advancing conservation in Colorado; many of them are our partners. So, what makes us different? Keep It Colorado is the only coalition in Colorado that elevates the voice of organizations doing on-the-ground private lands conservation and brings together multiple sectors to advance conservation across the state. We provide a central, collaborative environment designed to convene diverse voices to advance forward-thinking conservation efforts and approaches. Collectively, we share goals to: Protect more acres of land, water resources and wildlife habitat while taking into account the needs of a growing population. Advance state and federal policies that enable conservation. And lead strategic partnerships to advance conservation at the local community level.
We’re the only organization that represents land trusts, and advances and defends private land conservation tools on their behalf – including conservation easements and the state tax credit program.
We are the only organization that connects public agencies with land trusts, creating a more cohesive approach to public and private land and water conservation. And we are the only entity advocating for public policy that protects conservation easement tools that many public agencies use in open space protection.
For organizations not traditionally focused on conservation, such as outdoor recreation and economic development, Keep It Colorado is the only convening entity that provides direct connection and collaboration with land trusts, public agencies and nonprofits driving conservation work in Colorado.
Our work
Keep It Colorado provides a unified statewide voice and leadership for conservation and conservation planning, specifically around private lands. Our core areas of focus are:
Policy Advocacy: We advocate for sound public policy that supports and advances more on-the-ground conservation based on members’ collective input and priorities.
Member Connection & Coalition Building: We create opportunities for members to come together to move the community forward in unison and reach common conservation goals.
Emerging Issues & Opportunities Forum: We provide a forum for exploring and examining emerging issues and opportunities, including trends, tools and creative approaches that advance the pace of conservation and encourage innovation in conservation.
Health & Sustainability Solutions: We pursue and develop funding and programmatic solutions that strengthen the coalition’s ability and the greater conservation sector’s ability to continue this work now and into the future.
Advancing a Culture of Conservation: We connect more people in Colorado to conservation – past, present and future – through outreach, education and engagement, and collaborations and partnership-building.
A Roadmap
In April 2023, we published “Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation.” It is a collaborative plan that rallies land trusts and partners around a unified vision for the future of private lands conservation in Colorado. Goals are 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. Five strategic pillars guide this work:
Climate-resilient Landscapes: Protecting more resilient and connected landscapes, healthy ecosystems, and biodiversity.
Community-centered Conservation & Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ): Authentically engaging diverse perspectives and experiences in conservation, so we can conserve more land and deliver more direct benefits to more people.
Collaborative Water Solutions: Increasing work with water conservation partners on solutions and projects that protect water for nature and people.
Resilient Agriculture: Protecting more farmland and ranchland; expanding opportunities to cultivate landscape and economic resiliency; and increasing equitable access to local food production, land ownership and conservation programs.
Lasting Conservation Movement: Increasing awareness of and funding for this critical work and building a conservation movement that is more responsive and relevant to Coloradans now and in the future.
Why This Work Matters
Conservation is and will always be important and relevant in Colorado and to the people who live in and visit our great state. Local food access is an ongoing critical need. Clean water is a requirement. Animals, fish and birds rely on healthy habitats to survive. People place a high value on spending time outdoors and enjoying nature. And communities from rural to urban areas seek connection to the landscapes and natural outdoor areas that make Colorado special.
Yet all of these things are at risk of suffering or disappearing as more extreme weather patterns, chronic drought, a longer and more intense wildfire season, and diminished snowpack become more prevalent. While land conservation alone cannot end these climate threats, it can and does play a key role in creating natural solutions to climate change, mitigating its impacts, and creating more resilient and adaptable landscapes and communities. This includes communities that are most vulnerable to threats of a changing climate, such as low-income communities and communities of color.
Our coalition members serve as leaders in all of these areas. And they have a critical role to play in a bigger vision for a Colorado where people, lands, waters and wildlife thrive.
funders and partners
Keep It Colorado and the membership can’t do this work alone. Our coalition relies on working collaborations with conservation-minded organizations that prioritize conservation, protection and stewardship for our state’s communities. A few of our key partners include Great Outdoors Colorado and the Gates Family Foundation, which provide critical funding to sustain the coalition’s legacy conservation work and expand our vision of a future that prioritizes conservation; the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Trinchera Blanca Foundation, which help fund our statewide planning efforts; and the Land Trust Alliance, which provides essential organizational support to our land trust members via trainings, workshops, and other capacity-building resources and tools.
