The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, August 20, 2026- Colorado West Land Trust (CWLT) released its first comprehensive Restoration Plan, establishing a long-term vision to restore and strengthen the landscapes, watersheds, and working lands that sustain western Colorado.

Coinciding with the plan’s completion, CWLT is undertaking one of its most ambitious restoration efforts to date through a landscape-scale project to restore and enhance more than 115 acres of wetlands and riparian habitat along the North Fork of the Gunnison River.

“For more than 45 years, Colorado West Land Trust focused on permanently protecting important landscapes across the region,” said Rob Bleiberg, Executive Director of Colorado West Land Trust. “As warmer and drier conditions continue to reshape our region, we are taking a proactive approach by restoring and investing in the long-term resilience of conserved land that supports healthy watersheds, local food production, and wildlife habitat.”

The Restoration Plan establishes a five-year framework to advance restoration projects throughout CWLT’s six-county service area, including Delta, Gunnison, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel counties. The plan outlines regional stewardship priorities, restoration techniques, project evaluation criteria, and long-term ecological outcomes related to watershed health, agricultural resilience, wildlife habitat, forest health, and landscape connectivity.

Building on the organization’s Conservation Plan and Water Protection Plan, this approach provides a science-based framework for identifying and prioritizing restoration projects while strengthening collaboration with landowners and partners to ensure investments have a lasting impact.

The plan was completed with support from Great Outdoors Colorado. “Restoration is a complementary and necessary tool to safeguard Colorado’s lands, water, and wildlife,” said Chris Yuan-Farrell, Director of Programs at Great Outdoors Colorado. “GOCO is committed to working alongside our partners, like the Colorado West Land Trust, to accelerate climate-resilient conservation through strategic restoration opportunities at a meaningful scale.”

The North Fork restoration initiative is one of the first major projects guided by this new framework. Located across five properties in Delta County, the multi-year effort will create 5 new acres of riparian habitat while enhancing nearly 110 acres of existing wetlands and streamside habitat along the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The land surrounding rivers and streams is among western Colorado’s most important ecosystems, helping store water, reduce erosion, improve water quality, and sustain both wildlife and agricultural operations.

Supporting this work is River Corps, an AmeriCorps program led by River Science, a nonprofit organization based in Cañon City, Colorado. Colorado West Land Trust hosted a four-person River Corps crew for the summer season, implementing low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) techniques to restore degraded streams and wetlands.

“Low-tech, process-based restoration uses simple techniques to restore natural stream and floodplain function,” said Chloe Denning, a River Corps crew member hosted by Colorado West Land Trust. “This season, we’ve helped install projects that slow and spread water, reduce erosion, and create conditions where native vegetation and wetlands can recover naturally.”

The project is being implemented in partnership with the Western Slope Conservation Center, The Nature Connection, Western Biology LLC, Delta County, Delta County School District 50, and participating landowners. Funding support has been provided by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s RESTORE Colorado Program, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other conservation partners.

With the completion of the Restoration Plan, CWLT aims to pair permanent land protection with long-term ecological resilience. The North Fork project is an example of how restoration can build on past conservation investments to create lasting benefits for our communities well into the future.

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Click here to view the Restoration Plan Executive Summary