The Fouts Ranch: Instilling Values by Protecting Land

When Jeremy and Candice Fouts signed the deed on a 1,707-acre ranch in Delta County, they had their children in mind. “We bought this property to make a deliberate lifestyle change and to do something together as a family,” Jeremy explains. “I grew up in eastern Oklahoma on a farm and ranch. A retired minister moved to my hometown from Delta, and he’s the one that taught me the love of hunting, fishing and being outdoors.” 

“I also learned a lot of life skills working on a farm—how to treat others, how to respect the land and wildlife—that’s what set me up to have a ...

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Land Trust Conserves 2,400+ Acres

Delta County Independent, February 6, 2019 — Colorado West Land Trust ended 2018 on a high note. During the last week of the year, the Land Trust completed conservation projects totaling 2,427 acres in Delta and Mesa counties. These properties represent some of the region’s finest ranch land and wildlife habitat. 

On Dec. 27, Jeremy and Candice Fouts conserved their 1,707-acre ranch in Delta County. “We [originally] bought this property to make a deliberate lifestyle change and to do something ...

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Twenty Years of Habitat Restoration in Delta County

John Welfelt moves through a dense patch of willows and I lose sight of him for a moment. “Keep track of how much water you see!” he yells back with a sense of well-deserved pride. There’s water everywhere on his property; spring-fed reservoirs form a loose grid pattern that percolate water down to a wetland near the Uncompahgre River.

Rabbitbrush, three-leaf sumac, cattails and milkweed stand tall and thick against the shoreline of the ponds. Brush them aside and you see ...

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Colorado West Land Trust to Lead Campaign to Fund Lunch Loop Trailhead Improvement

Help construct shade shelters for the Lunch Loop trailhead and continued work along the Monument Corridor!

Join the Monument Mile campaign to raise funds for THRILL! (Trailhead Redesign and Improvements to Lunch Loop) and the next phase of construction for the paved trail that will connect the Lunch Loop Trailhead to the South Camp paved trail and the Redlands neighborhoods.

In 2017, Colorado West Land Trust, the City of Grand Junction, Mesa County, and the Bureau of Land Management partnered to ...

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Colorado the Beautiful Grant Award for Lunch Loop Connector Trail

GRAND JUNCTION, CO   November 28, 2018 – The City of Grand Junction and Colorado West Land Trust are thrilled to announce that the recent $400,000 award from the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife brings the fundraising effort to construct the Lunch Loop Connector Trail to the finish line.  This $2.5 million project will link some of the Grand Valley’s most popular amenities and neighborhoods to the world renown and community favorite Lunch Loop and Three Sisters trail system. With ...

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Ensuring the Future of Farming

In 1979, Rob and Clare Talbott purchased their first orchard in Palisade, with the hope of relocating from Golden to farm full time. Four decades later, they’ve not only achieved their goal, they’ve also helped ensure that others can follow their footsteps.

“It was working for my cousin, Harry Talbott, in 1979 that got me interested in orchards,” Rob Talbott said.

Gradually Rob and Clare added additional parcels to their C & R Farms, allowing them to move to the ...

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Treasure in the West Elk Mountains

In 1912, Alec McLeod homesteaded a beautiful property on Black Mesa, high above the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. A century later, his great-grandson, Tom McLeod, along with his sons, Custer and Levi, carry on the family heritage. They still own and operate Homestead Ranch, which lies along the West Elk & Historic Scenic Byway.

In 2011, the McLeod family protected the original 1,683-acre Homestead Ranch property with a conservation agreement that would forever protect the unmatched views and important habitat. Five years later the McLeods had the opportunity to purchase an ...

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A Year in Reflection

Recently, we published inserts in newspapers across the Western Slope to share some of the work we have accomplished in the past year. With generous support from our community, we have continued to conserve agricultural land, along with its rural heritage, wildlife habitat, recreational areas and scenic lands in western Colorado.

To read our 16-page insert that was published in the Daily Sentinel on Oct. 28, 2018, click here.

If you would like to read the insert published in the Montrose ...

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