Latest News and Events:

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.

Read our Newsletter   

Our newsletter, The Landline, has stories about conservation easements, different partnerships and programs which we are working with, and other information and stories about the workings of the land trust.  For newsletter archives, click here.

The Landline (Spring-Summer 2008)

The Landline (Fall 2007)

About Mesa Land Trust

Mesa Land Trust is a private, nonprofit land conservation organization based in Mesa County, 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.

Click Here to Donate Now!

View Pictures on Flickr   

Click here to see 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.