Mesa Land Trust announces GOCO grant to conserve even more of the region’s best orchard and vineyard land

 Last week Mesa Land Trust announced the award of a $552,200 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) toward the purchase of conservation easements on three neighboring parcels.  These orchard and vineyard properties, just south of Palisade on East Orchard Mesa, total just over 77 acres.  The effort is part of the Land Trust’s Fruitlands Forever Initiative, a project to conserve a critical mass of the East Valley’s prime orchard and vineyard land in the coming five years.  To read more click here and see the article that appeared in last week’s Grand Junction Free Press. 

The landowners, who will be named later this year, will continue to live and work on their land but are relinquishing future development rights through the conservation easements.    

Since the organization’s founding in 1980, Mesa Land Trust has conserved 58,600, including 500 acres of the orchard and vineyard land around Palisade.  The goal of the Fruitlands Forever Initiative is to double conserved fruit land acreage over the next five years to help assure that the agricultural land, that is so vital to the area’s economy and way of life, is permanently preserved.        

Read about MLT's accomplishments over the past 30 years!

As we celebrate our 30 years of conservation here in our County, we recognize how far we have come and the many accomplishments along the way.  Click here to read about the Land Trust's accomplishments over the past 30 years.  We are proud to have worked with so many landowners, members, and partners along the way and thank them all for helping make our work a success to benefit everyone in our community!

Mesa Land Trust’s Annual Picnic Kicked Off our 30^th Anniversary Celebration

To recognize Mesa Land Trust’s humble beginnings in Palisade, founders Harry and Bonnie Talbott and their family hosted our Annual Picnic at Talbott Farms.  We had a record turn out and everyone enjoyed the cool packing shed on the very hot day, the delicious food, excellent company and the wonderful tours of the operation.  Click here to see more pictures of the event!

Thank you to our event partners and underwriters!

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Founders leave a lasting legacy for

future generations

In honor of the lasting legacy that Mesa Land Trust’s founders have passed on to our community we will feature these visionaries in upcoming newsletters this year.    

Together John and Doris Butler have devoted 60 years to Mesa Land Trust.  Today, they can hardly believe that the organization that they helped found is celebrating its 30th birthday.  John remained an active member of the Board of Directors until 2009 and Doris has continued to assist with bookkeeping efforts.  Today, they both maintain their commitment to the organization by lending a hand with stewardship monitoring.     

In the early days of the organization John and Doris, along with other founders, placed a conservation easement on their farm in Palisade.  Today, that conserved land has been has been newly planted in peach trees.  All across Mesa County we can see evidence of the positive efforts that our founders put into place.  As we prepare to celebrate 30 years of conservation success we say a heartfelt “thank you” to the founders who provided a lasting legacy for future generations.      

Colorado State Tax Credits: Critical to Conservation 

Recent articles (read here and here) in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel highlight some of the pending changes to the Colorado State tax credits and the importance of these credits to land conservation.  Read here about one of many landowners that has benefited from the tax credit and used the money to hold an historic ranch together. 

We have many reasons to celebrate! 

Articles in the Free Press, Grand Valley Magazine, Fruita Times and the Business Times have highlighted Mesa Land Trust's many reasons to celebrate.  These include working with 16 different landowners last year to conserve over 5,300 acres of farm ground, wildlife habitat and scenic lands, and kicking off our 30th anniversary!  Read our article in the Free Press here.

Land Matters:  Read a Landowner's Story 

Do you ever wonder what motivates a landowner to conserve their property?  Do you want to learn more about some of the farmers and ranchers we work with everyday?  Read here about Penny Kelly, one of our generous landowners and the story behind her Glade Park Ranch, some history, and why she feels so strongly about protecting the ranch.  Flyer provided by the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts.

Mesa Land Trust Hosted John Fielder 

In November MLT hosted renowned photographer John Fielder for a slideshow and talk.  The event gathered over 180 people from our community and everyone enjoyed a slideshow of beautiful conserved ranches in the state, followed by a book-signing and meet and greet with John Fielder.  In 2007 and 2008 renowned photographer John Fielder traveled to 50 of Colorado’s most scenic working ranches.  The result was his most recent work, Ranches of Colorado, a 235 page book containing 375 photographs of Colorado’s ranches.                                             Photograph from Ranches of Colorado,

                                                                                                                                 copyright John Fielder, 2009

Thank you to our generous underwriters! Lead underwriters Moody Valley Insurance and Allied Insurance, and underwriters Safari Ltd and Atlasta Solar Center.

Read our Fall 2009 Newsletter

 Click the link above to read more in-depth about our recent easements, celebrations and new programs. 

Launching the 1% for Conservation Program

With Talbott Farms and Rapid Creek Cycles leading the way, Mesa Land Trust launched a 1% for Conservation Program in Palisade, late last year.  The program, a partnership with local businesses, provides the opportunity for customers to voluntarily add one percent of their transaction total for donation to the Land Trust. 1% for Conservation is designed to raise funds  earmarked for land conservation work in the Palisade area.   By giving customers the opportunity to contribute a few cents on each purchase to fund conservation, they can be part of an effort that will potentially invest thousands of dollars toward preservation of the region’s scenic lands and rich agricultural heritage.  The Palisade Café and Grille recently became the third business to support Palisade area agriculture by joining the 1% for Conservation Program. 

Mesa Land Trust Celebrates 3,700 acre Conservation Agreement on Lobe Creek and Leslie Place Ranches

Six decades ago, Maxine Aubert came to high country atop Pinyon Mesa in Western Colroado as a new bride and camp cook for the sheep ranching outfit run by her husband’s family.  In mid- August she and her family celebrated the completion of a conservation agreement with the Mesa Land Trust that ensures permanent protection of 3,700 acres on the Lobe Creek and Leslie Place ranches.  Joining the festivities were officials from the Division of Wildlife, private conservation groups, and sportsmen.  The celebration culminated four years of work by the Mesa Land Trust, Aubert and Hawks families, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife, to complete conservation easements on the ranches, which sit high above Unaweep Canyon and provide important habitat for big game species, species listed in the Colorado SWAP (State Wildlife Action Plan) and over 3 miles of riparian habitat.  The Division of Wildlife and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation provided funding for the project, with the landowners making a significant donation of easement value. 

In addition to celebrating this conservation success, the Colorado Conservation Partnership (CCP) honored and thanked Mesa Land Trust for their dedication to work on Glade Park and in Mesa County, with a donation to the Land Trust.

Dine in the Vines: 

Beautiful Evening Under the Palisade Stars

Over 70 friends and guests enjoyed a wonderful evening under the Palisade stars at Mesa Land Trust's Dine in the Vines dinner.  On the lovely Red Fox Vineyard,  surrounded by conserved properties, guests dined on local food prepared by Chef John Barbier of Le Rouge, drank wine paired by Carlson Vineyards and Garfield Estates,  enjoyed music by John Schultz, and bid on fine art by photographer Malcom Childers and painters Charles Morris and George Callison. Thank you to all who attended and who helped in making it a very special evening, including hosts Ken and Kathryn Stubler at the Red Fox Vineyards; Hoskin, Farina & Kampf; CSD; Karen Madsen of Merrill Lynch; and all of our wonderful Board, staff and volunteers.  For more photos of the event visit our Flickr gallery. 

Founders John & Doris Butler retire from MLT Board after 29 years!

It was a poignant evening at our monthly Board meeting when Mesa Land Trust founder John Butler announced his retirement from the Mesa Land Trust Board.  In 1980 John and Doris Butler, with a handful of others, founded Mesa Land Trust to help conserve the critical farm ground in Palisade.  And at that time, perhaps unbeknownst to them, they made a lifelong commitment.  Leading by example, the Butlers donated a conservation easement on their own farm which now grows peaches.  John spent at least 600 hours (that's 25 days!) attending Board meetings alone over the past 29 years...and that doesn't include the countless hours he and Doris spent volunteering, monitoring, accounting, and working on projects!  Doris and John plan to remain active with the Land Trust.  We thank them for having the foresight to establish Mesa Land Trust and the determination to help make sure Mesa Land Trust enjoys the success that we do today.  Thank you John and Doris, from all of us, for all your dedication!

MLT Receives GOCO Grant

Mesa Land Trust recently received a grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for conservation agreements on 3 contiguous farms in the Fruita buffer. The acquisition of these agreements will add roughly 75 acres to 490 acres of working farms and ranches already conserved between Grand Junction and Fruita. Read more about the GOCO grants on the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.  State distributes grants for trails.

Buy Products from a Local Conserved Farm!

You can now find local produce, meat, and other products all from local conserved ground!  Landowners throughout Colorado are now listed in a publication titled Bountiful Conservation: A guide to Colorado products and services from conserved lands.    Use this guide to find farms and ranches that offer the products and services you are looking for, as well as supporting landowners who view conservation as a high priority! Connect to the Bountiful Conservation website, or view a pdf of the publication. 

Mesa Land Trust's 2007-2008 Annual Report

Mesa Land Trust has published it's 2007-2008 Annual Report.  Please CLICK HERE to view this report.  If you want a copy of this sent to you please call us at (970)263-5443.

Photos of Our Annual Picnic Potluck

On Sunday we enjoyed a beautiful day on Ute Valley Ranch, a conserved property on Glade Park.  Under sunshine and rolling clouds over 150 members, landowners and friends joined us to celebrate and learn about the great conservation success we enjoy in Mesa County.  Thanks to all that attended and contributed to the event.  Click here to link to our Flickr page with photos of our Annual Picnic Potluck, and please share the pictures with your friends and neighbors!

Mesa Land Trust Receives National Accreditation

On Tuesday April 7th, Mesa Land Trust board of directors, staff, supporters, and members of the press met in from of Mesa Land Trust's office at 1006 Main St. in Grand Junction for the announcement that the Land Trust had recently received accreditation from the National Accreditation Commission.  With this announcement the Land Trust can now display Accreditation Seal, which assures the public that the land trust is operating an ethical, legal, and technically sound manner. 

Mesa Land Trust Partners With Mesa County Libraries to Present Family Story Time Every Last Tuesday of the Month

 From 7:00 to 8:00 PM on the last Tuesday of each month, Mesa Land Trust will sponsor Family Story Time at the Mesa County Library Central Branch Children’s Center.  Former school teacher and Land Trust board member Angelina Salazar will read to children and present activities which will focus on conservation and the environment.  There will also be a list of suggested adult readings on the subject.

For more information, please call Mesa Land Trust Development Officer, Mary Hughes, at 263.5443.

StoryCorps Highlights founders of MLT: Fighting for Family Farms   

This past year StoryCorps hosted interviews on Main Street in Grand Junction.  Amongst those telling their stories were Doris Butler and Paula Anderson.  In this interview they discuss the seeds for founding Mesa Land Trust and the fight to save farms in and around Grand Junction.  Read the article here.

About

Mesa Land Trust

Mesa Land Trust is a private, nonprofit land conservation organization based in Mesa County in Western Colorado. We  work to maintain the unique character, agriculture and history of Mesa County through partnerships with voluntary landowners, local governments, Mesa County, The Nature Conservancy and a variety of outside funding agencies.  We now hold over 130 conservation easements and have conserved over 50,000 acres of land containing important orchards, vineyards, cropland, large working ranches, and habitat for deer, elk and the Gunnison Sage Grouse in addition to a variety of other species.

View Pictures on Flickr  

View pictures of conserved properties, people, and events.

Become a Fan on Facebook

Mesa Land Trust now has a page on Facebook, a social networking site.  Click here to become fan of Mesa Land Trust and see postings of events, news, photos, and join in discussions with other fans about conservation in our community.  Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Learn More About Conserved Properties

Here in Mesa County we have some beautiful vistas, exceptional habitat and productive agricultural properties.  We are all fortunate that there are generous and concerned landowners who have donated conservation easements on their properties.  To learn more about some of these properties, click here.