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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.
America the Beautiful, or 30 by 30, is not a land grab. Nobody is taking away farmers’ and ranchers’ private property rights. Conservation and conservation easements are voluntary. And conservation easements, which are legal agreements to protect land in perpetuity, create more — not fewer — options for landowners.
After a competitive nomination process, a selection panel has named five Conservation Heroes, and will honor them for their outstanding contributions to conservation in Colorado! The panel enjoyed reviewing the nominations and hearing about the passion, energy and expertise of many across Colorado who are making a significant difference to advance the pace and scale of conservation.
Keep It Colorado selected 11 photographers for their photos and narratives illustrating their connection to land, water and wildlife in Colorado. Their work will be celebrated at a “Colorado the Beautiful: A Tapestry of Photos” gallery exhibit in September. Submissions highlight the diversity and beauty of landscapes across the state and celebrate the unique relationships people have with Colorado’s places and spaces.
On June 7, Colorado Governor Polis signed Condemned Conservation Easement Property Compensation (HB22-208) into law. The new law codifies valuation for conserved lands when they must be condemned, and ensures that the fair-market value of the property includes the value of the conservation easement.
As summer rolls in across Colorado, the threats of wildfire, diminishing snowpack and prolonged drought weigh heavy on the minds of many residents who cherish the state's iconic landscapes and wildlife. Conservationists are encouraging people to get in touch with their local land trusts to be part of the climate solution.
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).
Keep It Colorado has expanded its team with the addition of Hannah George, who joined the coalition as programs and events coordinator in April. Bringing extensive experience working with local farms and land trusts, Hannah will provide key oversight and administrative support for grant programs, special projects and member events.
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!
More frequent and exponentially larger wildfires and prolonged drought already are impacting Colorado's agricultural lands and regional economies. To ensure communities can survive and thrive in a changing climate, a broad range of stakeholders are working to create the state's first-ever private lands conservation plan. Read the full story on Public News Service.
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