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. This year, members hosted five inspiring field trips from Lake City’s Earth and Sky Center to working lands in Iola Valley and along Tomichi Creek. These trips covered topics such as dark skies, water leasing for instream flows, and agricultural production at 7,000 feet above sea level.
To start off the main event, Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, cross-cultural programs director at Montezuma Land Conservancy and a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, shared a song and spoke on the importance of this work for her ancestral land and some of the complexities of bridging two cultures. From there, participants listened to three conservation showcase presentations, shared great ideas at more than 30 engaging roundtable discussions, and gained new insights at 16 learning sessions. Discussions continued into the evening at happy hour on Wednesday and Thursday evening.
Thursday evening’s event also featured a local jazz band, food, and our second annual Conservation Olympics. After a spectacular win in 2024, the Roaring Fork Roarers brought back the Olympic trophy to honor a new cohort of champions. 2024 winner and Olympics concept originator Bud Tymczyszyn participated in the torch lighting ceremony that indicated the start of the games. While the first annual Olympics was a small, more orderly affair, this year’s competition took our game of conservation chaos to new heights. With over 40 competitors from nine teams, the field at I Bar Ranch was packed with participants running with hammers, collecting chocolate coins, and sprinting blindfolded. Unexpected bonus points were awarded for picking up trash and dressing in coordinated sports attire. Congratulations to this year’s champions, Birds Just Wanna Have Fun: Courtney Rogers, Sara Kramer, Dillon O’Hare, Savannah Robar, and Girija Kulkarni.
We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our planning committee, presenters, volunteers, and our sponsors: Land Trust Alliance, Tax Credit Connection, Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways, and our Peak Partner sponsor Betsy and John Cochran.
