Colorado West Land Trust and Black Canyon Regional Land Trust have officially merged!

Colorado West Land Trust and Black Canyon Regional Land Trust today announce that the organizations have merged and will move forward as Colorado West Land Trust. The two organizations have worked closely together over the last three years to protect the wonderful landscapes of western Colorado and combined the groups to best serve the region. The Land Trust will be headquartered in Grand Junction with a satellite office in Montrose.

“Our partnership has shown that we can best serve our community ...

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40 Stories in 40 Weeks: 2002 Annual Report, Letter from the Executive Director

What is your vision for our community twenty years from now?

At the Mesa Land Trust, our vision is really quite simple. Look around the community today. Notice the wildlife habitat along the Colorado River, the orchards & vineyards in the East Valley, the irrigated farmland north and west of Grand Junction.

See the landscape of working ranches and large blocks of habitat in Glade Park, Unaweep Canyon, or in Plateau Valley. Appreciate the undeveloped lands that separate the Grand Valley’s municipalities. ...

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40 Stories in 40 Weeks: Land Trust transfers Jurassic Flats open space to city

Sept. 10th Daily Sentinel, by Dan West

The 16-acre parcel of conserved open space called Jurassic Flats on the Redlands was officially transferred from the Colorado West Land Trust to the city of Grand Junction last week.

The parcel at the northwest corner of Monument and South Camp roads is used informally by hikers and was purchased by the Colorado West Land Trust last year. Last fall, the city signed a lease agreement for the parcel.

“Our parks and recreation system has many ...

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40 Stories in 40 Weeks: Looking Ahead, Three Sisters Park Acquisition (2011)

The Land Trust is excited to be working on a new kind of conservation project for the organization – Buying a property that will ultimately become a public park.

The 130 acre Three Sisters property offers a rare opportunity to acquire a strategic parcel that will improve access to an extremely popular non-motorized trail system, protect a scenic corridor leading to the Colorado National Monument, and provide recreational and environmental education opportunities

Bordered by BLM and City of Grand Junction land, Three ...

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40 Stories in 40 Weeks: Mesa Land Trust Earns National Recognition

GRAND JUNCTION, CO–Mesa Land Trust will publicly announce its recent accreditation award at a press event on Tuesday April 7, 2009 at 12:30 pm. The media is invited to attend for news coverage and photos.

In becoming accredited, Mesa Land Trust joins the ranks of just 53 other conservation trusts nationwide that have attained this honor. Awarded by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., accreditation is limited to groups that meet national standards for excellence, uphold the ...

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40 Stories in 40 Weeks: the Land Trust’s 25th Anniversary

The beginning

In 1980, the Mesa Land Trust was founded by local landowners concerned about heightened development pressures presented by the oil-shale boom. John and Doris Butler, Harry Talbott, Blaine Derrick and Herman Allmaras spent many hours around the Butler’s coffee table forming and guiding the organization. The Land Trust began its work by preserving several small orchards on East Orchard Mesa and received its first three conservation easements in 1982.

The Land Trust was one of the nation’s first agricultural land ...

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Colorado West Land Trust Receives Grant to Remotely Monitor Properties During Time of COVID

Colorado West Land Trust has received a grant enabling it to use remote technologies, such as satellite and aerial imagery, to monitor conservation properties as an alternative to in-person monitoring. Keep It Colorado, a nonprofit coalition of conservation partners that includes Colorado West Land Trust, awarded the grant. Keep It Colorado received investments of $155,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)’s Resilient Communities program and the Gates Family Foundation and re-granted the funds to 12 land trusts across ...

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Forever Our Rivers Foundation provides a grant for new Delta County boat launch!

Colorado West Land Trust is excited to announce that Forever Our Rivers Foundation will support our ongoing efforts to help facilitate construction of a new public boat launch on the Gunnison River near the Town of Delta.

We’re teaming up with the Foundation and Delta County to design and develop a launch point on county-owned conserved property. The completed project will include a boat ramp, parking area, nature trail, and enhanced wildlife habitat. We look forward to sharing more news as ...

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40 Stories in 40 Weeks: Driggs Mansion Property Conserved

Reprinted from a Mesa Land Trust Newsletter in 2007

A conservation agreement between John Hendricks and the Mesa Land Trust provides permanent protection for a key parcel in the heart of Unaweep Canyon. Sitting at the base of the 1,200 foot outcrop known as Thimble Rock, and including the iconic Driggs Mansion ruins, the Gil Meadows conservation easement preserves 114 acres along the Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic Byway.

The conservation agreement prohibits non-agricultural commercial or residential development of the property and allows the land ...

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Restoration continues to engage volunteers on Monument Road and enhances views leading to Colorado National Monument

Late last November, restoration ecologist David Varner led a group of Riverside Educational Center middle school students on an after-school working field trip to collect seed from native plants at the Three Sisters and Lunch Loop area on Monument Road. Learning about the different plants and following meticulous directions, the students collected an abundance of seeds.

Through another partnership with Colorado Mesa University professors Margot Becktell and Deb Kennard, students are now propagating the seeds in a greenhouse. Once the seedlings ...

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