Q&A with Suzanne Stephens, Executive Director, Aspen Valley Land Trust

K: Tell us a bit about your land trust and how it’s working for Colorado’s future.
S: Aspen Valley Land Trust is a regional land conservancy that has been serving the Roaring Fork and middle Colorado River basin in northwest Colorado for over 50 years. Originally founded as a parks organization in 1967, we seek to conserve and connect wildlife and agricultural corridors on the landscape scale, together with the special places that connect people to nature and the outdoors on a community level.

K: What is one thing you wish every Coloradan understood about the work of land trusts?
S: Land trusts are here to save land, true; but just as importantly, we are here to help build healthy, connected communities. Conservation is creative and can help address the changing needs of our communities, both human and wild. There is something here for everyone.

K: What inspired you to join the board of Keep It Colorado?
S: I’ve worked in land conservation for 20 years, and nothing is more important to me than seeing our land trusts thrive, our partnerships grow, and our work become more effective, relevant, and lasting. Keep It Colorado is here to advance conservation in Colorado and to help us build stronger land trusts and more effective partnerships throughout the conservation community. After all, we are all in this together, and together we are stronger.

K: What does conservation mean to you?
S: Conservation is pure potential. Saving the best of our natural and cultural heritage for the future is the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do, because – let’s face it – once it’s gone, it’s gone. Conservation is also about connecting people and communities to this rich heritage, and helping to keep the conservation ethic alive for the benefit of future generations. Conservation has the power to save land while building bridges and understanding between people.