LPOSC welcomed Rick Borkowski to its Board of Directors earlier this month. Rick and his wife, Annette, purchased a property conserved by LPOSC in 2018, and they have been hard at work improving their property ever since.
“Since acquiring the pasture and wetlands areas near Turtle Lake, Annette and Rick have been steadily working to restore the pasture after overgrazing damaged the grasses and soil. Through LPOSC’s seminars on soil health, noxious weed control and pollinator health, they gained the knowledge to help restore the pasture to a mix of healthy native grasses. Clover and cover crop seeding was used to enhance damaged soil with the added benefit of fixing nitrogen. Adjustments to the irrigation ditch system aided in restoration of the bare and weed-infested areas. Native grass seeds collected from adjacent parts of the pasture were used along with equine blends and Orchard grass for restoration. Thanks to several good winters snow and last year’s strong monsoon rains, the grasses have filled in nicely. Wildflower growth is a secondary enhancement, although the deer have other ideas of what should grow.” -Rick Borkowski
Many of our landowners, like Rick and Annette, are passionate about protecting their land and work tirelessly to improve it. From improving soil health to removing fences, placing nesting structures, and much more, their efforts benefit us all. During this season of gratitude, we would like to acknowledge our landowners and their hard work – thank you!
Colorado Gives Day is December 5th!
The season of giving is just around the corner, which means Colorado Gives Day is fast approaching.
Colorado Gives Day is Colorado’s biggest day of giving. But you don’t have to wait until December 5th to make your gift. You can schedule your Colorado Gives Day donations today! If you’ve already done so, thank you! Donors like you are instrumental to advancing LPOSC’s mission. With your support, LPOSC will continue to permanently protect natural and working lands critical to our region, work alongside landowners to support strong land stewardship practices, and provide community-centric conservation programming. To learn more about our work and donate, visit LPOSC’s Colorado Gives Day page. Thank you!
Snowdown 2024
Save the date for our annual Snowdown fundraiser! Cocktails for Conservation is a lively, elegant event featuring handcrafted chocolates from Animas Chocolate Company, specialty cocktails, fine foods, local brews and a silent auction. All proceeds from this popular event support LPOSC’s work to conserve Southwest Colorado’s land, water, and way of life. Must be 21+. Ticket sales will be announced right here in our newsletter next month.
Not sure what to expect? Check out this video of last year’s event in the Main Mall, courtesy of Blue Lily Productions.
Interested in sponsoring? Please contact Adrienne Dorsey at adrienne@lposc.org to learn more.
Webinar: Low-Tech Stream Restoration for Landowners
Western Landowners Alliance will host the first installment of their Winter Water Webinar Series on December 1st, and LPOSC is pleased to host an in-person viewing for anyone interested. This webinar will feature presentations by Jackie Corday and Kenyon Fields and will cover how to use these techniques to increase water availability and forage for agricultural producers, 2023 state legislation to support stream restoration, and increasing project success.
For more information and to register, click here.
If you would like to join us for the in-person viewing in downtown Durango, please email christy@lposc.org
Internship Highlight
This fall, LPOSC was awarded a multi-year grant from the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office to hire students from Fort Lewis College to compile research about recreational uses on conserved lands. In September, Clara Bertany and Analyn Hoffner were hired as our first interns to embark on this exciting work. After completing her 50-hour internship with LPOSC in October, Clara was hired as LPOSC’s new part-time Conservation Programs Assistant and will primarily be assisting with the development of the Internship Program in the coming months. Below, Clara looks back on her internship experience and looks ahead to the future of the program:
“I had the pleasure of visiting various recreation-based easements such as Horse Gulch and Dalla Mountain Park during my few months as a Stewardship Assistant and was amazed at the beauty around me. Analyn and I monitored easements and compared imagery against previous dates. It’s particularly interesting to see how much the trails have changed even in the last 10 years! There’s lots to be done from working on stakeholder research to connecting with more stewardship opportunities to come. The ability to hire another 12 interns over the next 18 months will change the game in terms of accessing new areas for conservation with recreational benefits.”
Featured Conserved Property for Sale
As our conserved properties change hands, we want to take the opportunity to show you some of the special places we’ve protected – and perhaps also find our next landowner!
The quintessential mountain property at 216 Gold Bar Dr sits on 115 acres with outstanding views of the La Platas and access to the San Juan National Forest. With year-round wildlife, ponds, and open meadows that explode with wildlflowers in the spring and summer, this is truly a special property. For more information on this pristine retreat, click here.
La Plata Open Space Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your gift may be tax deductible. Our EIN number is: 84-1204273.
To contribute, go to: lposc.org/donate-today/
or mail a check to the address below. Thank you!
