- Spring Bird Scavenger Hunt
- CHLT April Spotlight
- National Poetry Month
- Community News
- ReFUND CO
|
|
Spring Bird Scavenger Hunt |
Have you heard the call of a Red-winged Blackbird recently? It is the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and some of the first migratory birds are returning to Grand County. To celebrate longer days ahead, we've created a fun Spring Birds Scavenger Hunt for kids of all ages. Get outside and listen for songbirds songs, woodpeckers drumming, and owls hooting. Let us know what you see and hear on Instagram and Facebook. Download your birding scavenger hunt here.
|
|
Meet CHLT Easement Landowner, Beverly Parsons |
My husband Clark and I bought our property in Grand Lake in 1995. I remember the day well. We were celebrating our first anniversary and it was one day after I learned I had breast cancer. It was something of an impulse purchase but one we never regretted. When we moved to Washington State ten years later, we subdivided the property, sold our Grand Lake home with a few acres and put the remaining 36 acres in a conservation easement with one building site. It has been a pleasure working with CHLT both in establishing the conservation easement and in its ongoing monitoring where each year we walk among the trees I love. While according to U.S. law we own the property, according to nature's laws we are stewards of the land, not owners. Thus, the conservation easement. |
|
|
1. What desire or need were you hoping to fulfill? What prompted you to start looking for a solution?
We are part of a generation that has run rough-shod over nature with excessive development to obtain wealth and properties at the expense of the rest of life on this planet as well as future generations. We felt a strong need to do our part to protect the land from development, to give rights to wildlife who were here long before we came. We have a sacred trust to not unduly interfere with the natural cycles of nature. We had known the healing power of nature and wanted others to have that opportunity. We wanted to live in harmony with nature. We were increasingly realizing that people needed to build dwellings that were respectful of nature. We had the goal of building an environmentally responsible house on the property that is designed with the cycles of life and well being of all of life.
2. Why did you choose to work with us (CHLT)?
CHLT was local. We wanted a group that knew and cared for the land. CHLT is more than the holder of our conservation easement. They are an organization that holds the rights of nature as a priority. They speak for nature. They can be the voice of nature within the county and state. They are part of a network of land trusts that form a web across the country with the mission of preserving and caring for lands, water, wildlife and the beautiful vistas within the Colorado River headwaters for the benefit of all of life.
We especially appreciated that CHLT takes parcels of all sizes. This gives a broad range of land owners an opportunity to participate in retaining the beauty of this part of the state. The land, plants, and animals can all breathe a sign of relief that they have protection.
3. What is the most significant difference CHLT is making for you today?
They model responsible protection of lands and stand as a beacon to young people that there are values higher than money and consumption. They are building a community ethos of love of nature.
4. How would you describe CHLT to someone else?
CHLT is not only knowledgeable about the technicalities of the financial aspects of taking a charitable deduction for conservation easement donations but are a group I can turn to for advice on protection of nature. They are keeping up on what is going on in the broader land protection world. They provide the guidance and means to move through the complexities of the legal aspects of a conservation easement.
5. What is the single greatest benefit CHLT provides?
While CHLT has benefits to individual landowners, I’d say the biggest benefit is to the county and nature. CHLT is a key voice for protecting natures and its rights to sustain its lie cycles and its diversity. This ultimately benefits us all including the next generations we have safer water, air, and land.
6. What do you wish you had known at the beginning/when you started?
I would have liked to have met with people who already had conservation easements in the county to learn from them about how they worked with the county and neighbors to gain the most important benefits for all involved, both people and other forms of life.
I would have liked to have had an opportunity to sit down jointly with the county planners and the conservation land trust to see how they were working together for the overall wellbeing of the county. I also would have liked more info about which of the potential building sites on the property would have been the best for nature, e.g., where were the animal paths that needed to be preserved. It would be good to have a baseline about the wildlife patterns.
|
|
April is National Poetry Month |
|
Happy #NationalPoetryMonth! Join us as we share our favorite nature, ranching, and outdoor-themed poetry!
If you have a poem to share, whether it's your own creation or someone else's work, please send it along to: info@coloradoheadwaterslandtrust.org, and we'll post it on our social channels. Please include your name, and a relevant photo to post alongside your poem. |
|
|
|
The River by Sara Teasdale
I came from the sunny valleys
And sought for the open sea,
For I thought in its gray expanses
My peace would come to me.
I came at last to the ocean
And found it wild and black,
And I cried to the windless valleys,
"Be kind and take me back!"
But the thirsty tide ran inland,
And the salt waves drank of me,
And I who was fresh as the rainfall
Am bitter as the sea.
|
|
-
The Granby Chamber of Commerce is looking for a Community Engagement Manager to join their team. The Community Engagement Manager develops member and sponsor relationships, maintains the membership database, plans and coordinates Granby Chamber events, creates community activations in the Granby business district, and supports the Granby Information Center. View the full job description and how to apply here.
-
Northern Water: Watershed Fire Recovery - Rebuilding After Fires Fact Sheet
-
Western Resource Advocates (WRA) is hiring for the following positions throughout the West: Energy Markets Program Manager, Indigenous Peoples Engagement Manager, and Water Policy Analyst. Learn more here.
-
Aspen Valley Land Trust is seeking a Conservation Easement Specialist. View the full job description here.
|
|
Did you know that there's a new way to support the Colorado Headwaters Land Trust? |
Consider donating your tax refund (all or a part) to support CHLT's work to protect the land we love in Grand County.
Taxpayers should look for the option to "Donate to a Colorado Nonprofit" on their refund or tax software. Then, insert the following:
A) Nonprofit's name: Colorado Headwaters Land Trust
B) Nonprofit's Secretary of State CCSA Registration Number (not the EIN).
For CHLT, this number is: 20023003772
(Both name and number are required to efficiently and accurately make sure that the nonprofit the taxpayer intended gets the donation.)
C) Amount of donation
Please know that when making a donation through Donate to a Colorado Nonprofit Fund the taxpayer can:
- Only designate ONE write-in nonprofit
- Give all or a part of their refund
More information can be found here.
Thank you for conserving land in Grand County for perpetuity!
|
|
Get Your CHLT Branded Mask! |
|
Recommended donation: $7
Contact the office to get your own and show off your support of Grand County conservation in the most modern of fashion!
|
|
Let's Get Social!
Here are a few of our posts from the last month. Find more on our pages.
|
|
Agriculture is essential to our everyday lives. We are proud to celebrate our local farmers and ranchers that work so hard to feed the world! Thank you!
|
|
March 10: "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."
- Maya Angelou
CHLT was founded by strong, local women 25 years ago. In honor of Women's History Month, help us celebrate the achievements of women from the past and empower women moving forward. Who are your favorite female role models?
|
|
March 03: "No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure."
- Paul Oxton
Happy World Wildlife Day!
|
|
March 02:
In a recent survey, Colorado College polled eight western states to explore bi-partisan opinions across the Rocky Mountain West. The results clearly show that Coloradans support protecting public lands, energy, water, and wildlife. Learn more about the data for all eight states here.
March 01: Did you know that you can generate donations while shopping at no extra cost? Simply choose Colorado Headwaters Land Trust as your preferred charity when you shop on Amazon, and AmazonSmile will donate a portion of your eligible purchase to CHLT. Use this link to choose Colorado Headwaters Land Trust as your charity of choice: smile.amazon.com/ch/84-1320036
Thank you!
|
|
Plein Air at Altitude: Painting Planet Earth
September 6 - 12
|
|
Plein Air returns to the Fraser Valley and Grand County! Artists from across the region will be visiting and painting the scenic landscapes of Grand County, with emphasis on the private easements of the Colorado Land Trust and infrequently visited areas in the Rendezvous development. The works will be available for purchase with the proceeds benefiting the individual artists, the Colorado Headwaters Land Trust, and Fraser Valley Arts. |
|
Grand County National Public Lands Day
September 25
|
|
Recognized as one of the longest-running NPLDs in the country, Grand County's National Public Lands Day is a day full of enjoyment and dedication of our public lands. Grand County has a bounty of public lands, including a national park, national forests, wilderness areas, national recreation areas, and more. After a day of volunteering with Headwaters Trails Alliance come gather in Granby for a Picnic In the Park at Polhamous Park! Enjoy music, special guests, and a broad community as we celebrate our public lands. |
|
Hats Off for Headwaters
September 26 - October 03
|
|
Shop Our Conservation Partners! |
|
Support local land conservation by shopping at CHLT's Conservation Partners. These partners believe in the mission of the Land Trust and know that open space enriches our quality of life, protects landscapes, and brings visitors and residents to Grand County.
Protecting open space is an investment in our environment, our culture and our economy.
|
|
Are you interested in becoming a Conservation Partner with no cost to your business? Click here for more information!
|
|
Thank you for supporting Colorado Headwaters Land Trust.
YOUR help today allows us to protect the lands we love for generations to come!
|
|
P.O. Box 1938, Granby, CO 80446 • (970) 887-1177
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
