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 ...
Continue Reading →Jessie and Beeman Casto married in 1952 and worked the land together on the on the property where Beeman grew up. The Castos didn’t want to see the place that Beeman’s ancestors homesteaded in the 1890s ever developed. In 2015 they worked with Mesa Land Trust to place a permanent conservation easement on the land, helping assure that their grandchildren and great-grandchildren can keep ranching, deer and elk winter range remains intact, and the vistas of Unaweep Canyon and the habitat along West Creek would never be developed. We hope you enjoy their story! If you would like to support our work and help Mesa Land Trust raise an additional $35,000 for our 35th anniversary, click here.
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One hour from Grand Junction and 15 miles west of the Glade Park Store, a metal gate leads to the original log cabin home of Anna Roehm Lawson, who has lived on this land since she was ten days old. A friendly young hound and an elderly dachshund greet us. Anna is already busy in the kitchen, talking on the phone. She welcomes us into the newest addition to the multi-sectioned log home, where she is surrounded by a variety ...
Continue Reading →In the fall of 2007, James Sanders was stuck at a railroad crossing in Palisade waiting for a train to pass. He caught sight of the Fruit and Wine Realty office and wandered over to take a look. That night he went home to his wife Laura and said, “I have a crazy idea.” “And I’d been with him long enough to know that if he said he had a crazy idea, it was going to be really crazy,” added ...
Continue Reading →Scott and Jessica Washkowiak know the importance of conservation to the future of farming. In 2012, the young couple, who operate Field to Fork CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), began working conserved land owned by two of Mesa Land Trust’s founders, Mike and Blakely Mechau, near Palisade.
In 2005, the Mechaus placed a conservation easement on 20 acres of farm land through the Mesa Land Trust. This conservation easement ensures that this acreage will always be used for farming and will never ...
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