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.
Legislation to extend the state’s highly successful Conservation Easement Tax Credit Program was signed into law by Governor Polis on June 1, 2026. Now the program’s sunset has been extended from 2031 to 2036. The bill passed with incredibly strong bipartisan support, with 92 of 100 legislators voting in support of HB26-1230.
DENVER — Bipartisan legislation introduced on February 19 in the Colorado General Assembly would extend the state’s highly successful Conservation Easement Tax Credit Program. HB26-1230 ensures continued protection of Colorado’s farms, ranches, wildlife habitat, water resources, and outdoor recreation landscapes.
Keep It Colorado will award $551,100 in assistance to six nonprofit Colorado land trusts, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation.
Keep It Colorado will award $553,850 in assistance to seven nonprofit Colorado land trusts, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation. The 10 selected projects will help permanently protect 16,026 acres encompassing vital wildlife habitat, working farms and ranches.
Spring Summit always feels like a reunion, and it was such a joy to gather with 140 coalition members, supporters, and partners from May 21-23, 2025. Western Colorado University had a great space for our meetings, and the Gunnison Valley was the perfect backdrop for our land conservation event with countless examples of land conservation in action close by.
Every year Keep It Colorado convenes our members for our Annual Policy Summit. On October 2, 34 coalition members gathered in person and online to talk policy. We highlighted the outcomes of the 2024 legislative session, celebrated the coalition's conservation achievements, and discussed the outlook for 2025.
Keep It Colorado will award $840,000 in assistance to 10 nonprofit Colorado land trusts, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation. The 15 selected projects will help permanently protect over 13,000 acres of working ranches, wetlands, water rights and wildlife corridors on land that would otherwise be at imminent risk of being subdivided or converted to other uses.
Keep It Colorado has received $1.52 million to provide transaction, planning, capacity and community engagement support to Colorado’s land conservation community. The funds are organized under two programs: the Transaction Cost Assistance Program and Organizational Advancement. They will enable coalition members to take steps in implementing Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation.
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