Rally was a busy and rewarding week for Keep It Colorado! With the conference taking place right here in Denver, Colorado, we had the opportunity to welcome conservation partners from across the country and help showcase the depth and diversity of conservation work happening in our state.
As a team, Keep It Colorado co-led a field trip to Boulder along with Boulder County Parks and Open Space. Starting the day at Grama Grass and Livestock, participants learned about regenerative grazing and wildfire mitigation on leased conserved and public lands. From there we headed to Long’s Gardens where Catherine Long shared the history of her family’s flower farm and working with the City of Boulder to place a conservation easement on the land so that community gardening, agricultural production, and public access could continue. After wandering through the community garden plots and learning more about the work of Growing Gardens, a tenant of Long’s Gardens, we enjoyed lunch at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. From there we enjoyed the city’s walkable downtown and strolled Pearl Street to People’s Crossing, where we hiked the Red Rocks Trail.
Immediately following the field trip, we hosted a happy hour that brought together Coloradans and friends to kick off the week. At our host table, we gave away Mesa Verde National Park mini puzzles and postcards featuring conserved lands. We loved seeing attendees share a little piece of their Rally experience in Colorado with friends and family back home. More than 300 were mailed!
More than 35 Coloradans, including Keep It Colorado staff, took the stage as Rally speakers, sharing their expertise and perspectives through sessions, workshops, and other programming throughout the conference. From speaking on Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy and Tribal Engagement Framework to water rights stewardship, we were proud to see so many coalition members, partners, and Tribal leaders represented among them.
One of the major themes throughout the week was Indigenous land stewardship, and how growing Indigenous leadership in land conservation is changing conservation deals from transactional to relational. From coast to coast, Tribal Nations and Indigenous leaders are reconnecting with ancestral homelands. In doing so, there are infinite possibilities for developing partnerships, enhancing biodiversity, strengthening Tribal sovereignty, cultivating relationships, practicing traditional ecological knowledge, and healing the land and people.
From packed sessions to conversations in the hallways, Rally created countless opportunities to make connections, share ideas, and imagine many hopeful possibilities for the future. While Rally is over, the conversations are just beginning.
