This past month has been quite a shock in so many ways. I hope that as you and your loved ones have met your personal challenges during these past weeks, you have all come through feeling safe and healthy and mountain strong!
As can be expected at such a time, our October 1 monitoring deadline came and went with quite a few reports still outstanding. I know there are a variety of reasons for this, so I am writing to each of our monitors to try to get a sense of the situation for their properties. I have been in communication with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission staff about this issue; they understand the extraordinary circumstances for the Estes Valley this year and simply recommend that we document circumstances for each easement.
Please let me know which of the following categories best fit your assigned properties.
- Some properties have been monitored and the forms are already submitted to the office…. and we are grateful.
- Some properties have been monitored but the forms have not yet been submitted. Please complete these forms ASAP. Let us know if we can assist by sending you a digital form copy or providing another paper copy for each property.
- Some properties have not been monitored, but the property is accessible and can be completed in the near future. Please let us know when you expect to complete these.
- Some properties are currently inaccessible, and probably will be for quite some time. We do NOT want any of our monitors to take ANY risks in order to monitor their properties. Do let us know if you happen to be aware of specific issues with your assigned properties. If these properties become safely accessible before the end of the year, please try to complete the task… otherwise we will wait until next year.
Of course, all of this is complicated by the current living arrangements of our monitors! Please let me know if you have properties that could be monitored but you are currently somewhere else!
Earlier this week, we sent a letter to all landowners to provide guidelines for restoration given the conservation easement restrictions.
Again, thank you for all you do for EVLT, and we wish you all the best in your recovery journey.
Mary Banken
Executive Director
Estes Valley Land Trust
970-577-6837