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.
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.
Keep It Colorado will award $215,000 in grants to help four Colorado land trusts complete conservation projects in partnership with landowners across five Colorado counties. The projects will permanently protect 13,375 acres of critical wetlands and wildlife habitat, family orchards and vineyards, agricultural landscapes, water rights and rare species.
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.
A Durango area family farm is tapping a conservation easement to strengthen and grow a viable business on 180 acres of land overlooking the Animas River. Founding owner of DSM Land Jennifer Thurston is working with the La Plata Open Space Conservancy to access generous saleable tax credits to expand production of water-efficient crops and other programs to benefit the public. Comments from Jennifer Thurston, founding owner, DSM Land PBC.
Keep It Colorado will spend 2023 focusing on policy priorities that will build more bipartisan support for conservation and pave the way for reauthorizing the tax credit program in a future year. Keep It Colorado will remain active at the Colorado State Capitol and in Washington D.C., continuing to promote existing conservation tools and look for new opportunities to increase investments in conservation.
A grant recently awarded by the group Keep it Colorado will help protect 2,565 acres of land adjacent to Mesa Verde National Park, the San Juan Scenic Byway and San Juan National Forest. The move is expected to preserve iconic views entering the park, support agricultural resiliency, protect significant archaeological sites and maintain critical wildlife habitat. . Comments from James Reimann, conservation director, Montezuma Land Conservancy.
The year 2022 has been a good one for conserving Colorado’s natural resources. With financial assistance from Keep It Colorado, six land trusts helped landowners conserve about 4,725 acres of land spanning 10 counties. That is equivalent to 3,579 American football fields, nine Grand Lakes or 1.8% of Rocky Mountain National Park. Protection efforts also included acreage along 13 miles of stream.
Keep It Colorado will award $197,000 in grants to help three Colorado land trusts complete conservation projects. Their activities with landowners who’ve chosen to conserve their land in perpetuity will protect 8,512 acres of land that would otherwise be at imminent risk of being sold, subdivided or converted to other uses.
Some three million acres of Colorado lands have been protected through land trusts and their partners, and new online resources launched by the group Keep it Colorado aims to help more families keep producing on their farms and ranches, and maintain their land for future generations. Erin Quinn, conservation director with the Aspen Valley Land Trust, said protecting lands through conservation easements now is a good idea for a number of reasons.
Keep It Colorado has created two resources for landowners considering voluntarily conserving their property and for landowners who purchased land with a conservation easement already on it. These resources are designed to cover the basic background that a landowner with a conservation easement (or considering one) would need to know - including the benefits and requirements.
Recent awards for “Conservation Heroes” spotlight the collaborative vision and strategy which go into protecting Colorado's healthy vibrant landscapes, wildlife habitat, and local farms and ranches. "Sometimes we don't realize all the work that goes into making those places special. Protection or conservation of those lands and the wildlife that live there doesn't just happen by itself."
Keep It Colorado has launched two initiatives through its new Emerging Conservation Opportunities (ECO) Program. The Transaction Cost Assistance Program and the Alternative Valuation Tool pilot will benefit landowners interested in using conservation easements to voluntarily conserve land. Landowners will benefit from cost assistance and more choices for valuing conservation easements.
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