by Estes Valley Land Trust | Apr 8, 2020 | Uncategorized
Calypso Orchid photo by Marlene Borneman
As we continue to stay at home and recreate nearby, it’s nice to remember that brighter days are ahead. Soon summer will arrive and our forests and meadows will be resplendent with wildflowers. No matter when the pandemic passes, the plants of the Estes Valley will endure.
One of the most colorful (and fragile) plants in the Estes Valley is Calypso bulbosa, otherwise known as the calypso orchid or fairy slipper. Calypso Cascades in Rocky Mountain National Park are named after this plant. It’s nice to know that the shaded and moist sites along some of your favorite trails will soon be brightened by this beautiful wildflower.
Since we are still a few months away from the C. bulbosa flowering season, we wanted to share a short film about another gorgeous orchid. Chasing Ghosts is a film about a rare orchid located in the swamps of south Florida. Join these intrepid researchers on their wet adventure to solve the ghost orchid mystery. Even the researchers were surprised at their findings!
And remember, soon, we’ll be able to see our own local orchid in bloom.
by Estes Valley Land Trust | Apr 1, 2020 | Uncategorized
Photo of an American dipper by airboy123
This spring has brought sudden change to all of our lives. In the face of so much uncertainty, it’s reassuring to know that the Estes Valley endures. The forests and meadows, craggy peaks and rivers, and the wildlife that inhabit these areas live on. Thanks to our members and our many partners, our beautiful valley will be here forever.
We are tracking governmental orders and delaying events as needed. We know that many of you look forward to the annual volunteer monitoring season and our summer breakfasts. We’ll keep you up to date on these events – please see our website for more details.
Our members are close-knit and commune around nature. Since we cannot host outdoor events at this time, we will be sharing links to environmental films that bring joy and connect us to nature. This week, we’re sharing a short film called A Trout With Feathers about a local bird called the American dipper/water ouzel. It’s the namesake of Ouzel Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park and you are likely to see one along Glacier Creek, at the YMCA of the Rockies Conservation Easement.
On behalf of the entire team, we hope you are well and able to find ways to get outdoors for some fresh air. If you go for a hike, please do so locally and safely, in accordance with Colorado’s Stay at Home Order.
by Estes Valley Land Trust | Mar 8, 2019 | Uncategorized
The Estes Valley Land Trust has been nationally recognized for its commitment to professional excellence and for conserving land in Colorado. The Estes Valley Land Trust was one of just three land trusts recognized for its third accreditation, of 1,363 land trusts across the United States.
“One thing that unites the Estes Park community is land. Since 1987, the Estes Valley Land Trust has preserved nearly 10,000 acres of land for the people and wildlife of Estes Park, Larimer and Bounder counties. We’re very proud to be nationally recognized, once again, for our work”, said Robin Harding, President, Board of Directors.
The Estes Valley Land Trust went through a rigorous 9-month process with the Land Trust Alliance (LTA), a national organization, to evaluate its business practices related to governance, financial records, recordkeeping, conservation easement drafting and other critical practices. In the end, LTA recognized the Estes Valley Land Trust as an accredited land trust without any areas for improvement.
LTA also requested the Estes Valley Land Trust share some of their business documents, to be used as a template for other land trusts across the nation. “It was a real complement to our Finance Committee and another example of the incredible leadership the Board of Directors provides the land trust”, said Jeffrey Boring, Executive Director.
“This recognition is really a testament to all our members and they deserve a big thank you. We are a community-based organization and our members volunteer thousands of hours to help us conserve land. Without the support of the community, the Estes Valley Land Trust would not have been nationally recognized”, Boring continued.
A complete list of accredited land trusts and more information about the process can be found at landtrustaccreditation.org.
This press release appeared in the March, 8 2019 Estes Park News.
EVLT was first accredited in 2008. Read about our first accreditation here.
by Estes Valley Land Trust | Jan 9, 2019 | Uncategorized
YMCA of the Rockies donated a conservation easement to the Estes Valley Land Trust to preserve over 127 acres of open space within the Estes Park Center. The conservation easement prohibits most development including residential structures, industrial uses and mining, among other uses that harm open space and scenic views.
The new conservation easement preserves land along State Highway 66/Tunnel Road and the Glacier Creek boundary with Rocky Mountain National Park. “One of our enduring goals, since the Estes Valley Land Trust was formed, was to preserve the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park”, said Jeffrey Boring, Executive Director of the Estes Valley Land Trust. “The conservation easement with the YMCA of the Rockies preserves nearly a mile of the Park boundary.”
The conservation easement also meets the YMCA of the Rockies plans for the Estes Park Center.
“Our location is one of the very special things about YMCA of the Rockies. Protecting into perpetuity the environment, and preserving all that makes it special, is why we wanted to donate this conservation easement. Our guests can count on inspirational outdoor experiences now and into the future.”
CEO and President, YMCA of the Rockies
Watkins added that this conservation easement is contiguous with four existing conservation easements, bringing the total number of protected acres within and around the YMCA of the Rockies’ property to about 238 acres.
Preserving private youth camps with a conservation easement is not new for the Estes Valley Land Trust. The land trust also holds conservation easements on The Salvation Army’s High Peak Camp and Ravencrest Chalet. The YMCA of the Rockies conservation easement balances open space preservation with outdoor recreation by limiting the location and type of recreation improvements that can occur on the eased property.
“We understand and fully support the YMCA of the Rockies’ goals to engage youth and families in an outdoor setting and we artfully built those needs into the conservation easement, without harming nature. Most of the land preserved with this conservation easement is simply open space; there will never be any visible development.”
Executive Director, Estes Valley Land Trust
The conservation easement permits trails, but prohibits ball fields, tennis courts and other recreational uses that damage the environment. These kinds of recreation facilities are still allowed outside the boundaries of the conservation easement.
by Estes Valley Land Trust | Jan 3, 2017 | Uncategorized
Estes Valley Land Trust is pleased to announce that it has closed on a second newly conserved property in two weeks. The Crownover Conservation Easement, located on Jacob Road near Little Valley, has been forty years in the making.
Leo Weber, Estes Valley Land Trust Vice President, first met Norris and Judy Crownover in 1976, as a young woodworker. “Norris was gracious and shared his cabin with me,” Weber said.
“I was a young guy and had just moved to Estes Park. I was living out of a van and Norris offered to let me stay in his cabin,” recalled Weber. “I couldn’t pass up the offer.”
Now the cabin, and the forty acres on which it sits, are permanently protected with a conservation easement held by the Estes Valley Land Trust. The easement closed on December 9th.
The Crownover Conservation Easement has dramatic views into the East Fork of Fish Creek and Little Valley. Also it can be seen from prominent recreational areas, including Twin Sisters Peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park, The Crags, and Kruger Rock in Hermit Park Open Space.
The property is surrounded on two sides by the Arapaho/Roosevelt National Forest and is adjacent to the Cheley Camp property to the south.
“The fact that this new conservation easement borders the Cheley Camp and buffers them from major development activity is very exciting for us,” said Jeffrey Boring, Estes Valley Land Trust Executive Director.
“Cheley Camp is a fixture in Estes Park and thousands of kids over the years have fallen in love with the outdoors and Estes Park through the camp,” stated Boring. “We’re glad we can give back by helping protect their borders and ensure the camp remains in a natural setting.”
The Crownover Conservation Easement is located in a dramatic setting of large rock outcrops and open forests and contains an intermittent stream.
The property has been identified by Colorado Parks and Wildlife as providing habitat for deer, elk and bighorn sheep. The conservation easement ensures these natural features and the wildlife habitat they provide will be protected forever.
“It’s so nice to be able to work with Leo and donate this conservation easement to the Estes Valley Land Trust,” said Norris Crownover. “The forty acres and old cabin have been a special place for us over the years. We have lots of good memories up there and it’s good to know it’s not going to change much.”
Weber and Boring expressed their appreciation to the Crownovers for their commitment to preserving the beauty of the community.
