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.

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.

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 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.

Keep It Colorado celebrated 9 “Conservation Heroes” and 11 photographers at its inaugural Fall Reception on Sept. 1 at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden. About 80 guests attended the event, which featured an awards ceremony, a gallery exhibit and a cocktail reception.

This year at our summer regional meetings, we explored challenges and solutions related to water. The groups also had fun creating vision boards for our “why” and the ideal state of conservation in Colorado. Each meeting featured a unique walking tour on conserved land.

What do good partnerships look like in the conservation space? A recent panel discussion featured four land trusts and four local public agencies, who shared what it takes to build successful partnerships. The dialogue centered on strategies, experiences and lessons learned - and celebrated the conservation projects that have been the fruit of these partnership efforts.

Every year, Keep It Colorado convenes members and partners for our annual Spring Summit. This year we gathered in-person at Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Partners in the Outdoors Conference, and our theme was “The Ideal State of Conservation” where conversations centered on climate resiliency and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI).

Six land trusts shared what their work looks like on the ground, and the many benefits people and wildlife receive from conservation efforts. People from all reaches of the state joined us for our Virtual Conservation Showcase. They discovered that conservation means many different things, and that the work of land trusts varies widely!

Keep It Colorado staff had the tremendous opportunity to convene with our members across the state. These regional meetings were packed with conversation, learning and sharing, as well as some social time and spectacular tours of conserved properties.

During Spring Summit 2021 we brought our coalition members together virtually for an opportunity to showcase their work - creating meaningful learning opportunities and connection with conservation peers across the state.

People often wonder how private land conservation directly benefits them. The benefits are many. And for many of our land trusts, their work leads to some surprising results — extending the benefits of conservation into communities in previously unimagined ways.

Thank you to those who attended our first-ever virtual Spring Summit in late April. And many thanks to our presenters for taking the time to share and celebrate your work! Your presentations were informative, interesting and inspiring!

We recently wrapped up a series of storytelling workshops on the Front Range and on the Western Slope. What did people love most? The share-outs! Shared stories illustrated that conservation means many things to many people.

To help kick off the new year, we held a roundtable discussion with several of our public agency members, including a few guests – ranging from open space and city and county governments, to agencies at the state and federal levels.

We had an impressive turnout at our Fall Policy Summit on November 7. Here is a recap of what happened, where the policy proposals currently stand and what’s next.

During July and August we held regional meetings in Edwards, Salida, Golden and Telluride.