Kick off your 46th annual Snowdown Durango festivities with La Plata Open Space Conservancy! 

Cocktails for Conservation is a lively, elegant event featuring local and craft beverages, chocolate truffles, hors d’oeuvres, live music, 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.

This event always sells out, and tickets are available only in advance – get yours today!

We are pleased to share that on Monday, December 23, La Plata Open Space Conservancy put 102 acres of land along the Florida River into conservation, adding to an existing 150-acre easement established by a local family in 2007. This accomplishment ensures that 252 acres of wildlife habitat, open space, agricultural land, and water resources are protected forever.

As we close out 2024 on a high note, we are already working on several new conservation projects for 2025. Your support makes these projects possible – thank you! On behalf of all the staff, interns, and board members at La Plata Open Space Conservancy, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a new year filled with peace, prosperity, and good health!
– Jen and Christy

 Save the Date!
We will host our largest fundraiser, Snowdown’s Cocktails for Conservation, on Thursday, January 30th! Ticket sales will be announced in our newsletter in early January.

Enjoy a few highlights of our year below:

Colorado Gives Day is Colorado’s biggest day of giving, and we need your support to protect our cherished open spaces. Be a part of something special and make your Colorado Gives Day donation today! Your donation helps us conserve Southwest Colorado’s land, water, and way of life.
  
LPOSC proudly safeguards over 22,000 acres of scenic vistas, critical wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, agricultural lands, and historical resources through its 179 conservation easements. With your help, in 2025, we will work to conserve another nearly 2,000 acres. 

For another way to support LPOSC, save the date for Snowdown’s Cocktails for Conservation on Thursday, January 30th! Ticket sales will be announced in our newsletter later this month.

Thank you for helping us make 2024 a year of achievements – new conservation projects, workshops, youth programs, and internships were possible thanks to donors like you!

Protect the outdoor places you love in southwest Colorado by supporting La Plata Open Space Conservancy (LPOSC) this Colorado Gives Day! Your gift will directly support LPOSC’s mission to permanently protect open lands that are vital for agriculture, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and preserving our local history.

Every donation you make to LPOSC from November 1 through December 10 will go even further, thanks to a $1M + Incentive Fund generously provided by the Colorado Gives Foundation and FirstBank. Each participating nonprofit will receive a share of this fund, based on the total donations they raise—meaning your support has a bigger impact! Plus, if you set up a new monthly donation, the Colorado Gives Foundation will match your first monthly donation up to $100, up to $250,000 across all organizations!

Give Where You Live! Together, let us keep southwest Colorado wild, beautiful, and resilient. Thank you for being a crucial part of our work to conserve the spirit and landscape of this unique place.

Protect the outdoor places you love in southwest Colorado by supporting LPOSC this Colorado Gives Day!

Every donation you make to LPOSC from November 1 through December 10 will go even further, thanks to a $1M + Incentive Fund generously provided by the Colorado Gives Foundation and FirstBank. Each participating nonprofit will receive a share of this fund, based on the total donations they raise—meaning your support has a bigger impact! Plus, if you set up a new monthly donation, the Colorado Gives Foundation will match your first monthly donation up to $100, up to $250,000 across all organizations.

Your gift will directly support LPOSC’s mission to permanently protect open lands that are vital for agriculture, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and preserving our local history.

We hosted a sold-out realtor workshop that earned participants three continuing education credits in a state-approved course on conservation easement basics for realtors and those in related professions. Wells Group Realtor Justin Osborn, along with staff from La Plata Open Space Conservancy and Tax Credit Connection, provided valuable insights into what a conservation easement is, how and why they are established, and key considerations for real estate transactions involving conservation easements.

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsor, Colorado Title & Closing Services, this course was offered at no cost to participants. 

Attention realtors!
Earn three continuing education credits in this state-approved course on conservation easement basics for realtors and those in related professions. Wells Group Realtor Justin Osborn and staff from La Plata Open Space Conservancy and Tax Credit Connection will help you understand what a conservation easement is, how and why they are established, and what to be aware of when handling a real estate transaction involving a conservation easement.
This course is free of charge, thanks to support from our generous sponsor, Colorado Title & Closing Services. Registration is required and space is limited – please register at the link below.

LPOSC is grateful once again to be the beneficiary of Ska Brewing’s Anniversary Party and Brewer’s Invitational. The event is sold out, but volunteers can still get in free!

Interested in Volunteering?

 Please email clara@lposc.org with your shift choice preferences.

 Parking Director (3:15-5:15pm)

 Parking Director (5:15-7:15pm)

Ticket Booth (7-9pm)

Event Support (5:30-7:30pm)

Attention realtors!
Earn three continuing education credits in this state-approved course on conservation easement basics for realtors and those in related professions. Wells Group Realtor Justin Osborn and staff from La Plata Open Space Conservancy and Tax Credit Connection will help you understand what a conservation easement is, how and why they are established, and what to be aware of when handling a real estate transaction involving a conservation easement.

This course is free of charge, thanks to support from our generous sponsor, Colorado Title & Closing Services. Registration is required – please register at the link below.

During the long summer days, Christy Curd, LPOSC’s Stewardship Director, works hard to monitor easements all across La Plata County and beyond. Take a peek at some gorgeous photos on scenic conserved properties.

In mid-June, LPOSC completed the permanent protection of a 35-acre conservation easement. Located adjacent to picturesque Lake Durango, this conservation easement encompasses expansive sagebrush and gambel oak shrublands. The property also consists of dryland pastures where cattle graze during the summer and fall.

This easement not only safeguards agricultural land, but also preserves vital wildlife habitat. The property contains winter habitat and migration routes for large game species moving between high-elevation summer territories and lower-elevation winter ranges, as well as habitat for a diversity of birds and small mammals. Situated near numerous other conservation easements, this newly-conserved property complements existing protected lands.

Calling all owners and grantors of LPOSC-conserved properties! Join us for a special event – the Landowner Appreciation Picnic on Saturday, August 10, from 4 to 7 pm. We’ll gather at the beautiful Rockin’ M Ranch at the end of Lightner Creek Road.

On Friday, June 28, LPOSC celebrated at the preserved paradise, Sunnyside Farm, to witness a unique spectacle: a rare population of fireflies illuminating the night sky. It was an enchanting evening marked by lively conversation and breathtaking vistas, and raised critical funds for LPOSC. We are so thankful for the wonderful Jerry and Karen Zink for hosting and extend a heartfelt thank you to all who joined us. We eagerly look forward to hosting this event again next year! 

Join LPOSC for an enchanting firefly viewing party and dinner on Friday, June 28th. Hosted graciously by Jerry and Karen Zink at their preserved haven, Sunnyside Farm. The event promises a rare chance to witness the fleeting beauty of fireflies, exclusive to Southwest Colorado for a brief period each year. Revel in the company of friends, great food, and refreshing drinks amidst nature’s spectacle.

Tickets are priced at $100 per person, with the added perk of return visits with children and guests to the property on evenings from June 29 to July 5. Donations encouraged for the later visits. 

LPOSC, in collaboration with Visit Durango, Durango Trails, and San Juan Mountains Association, has formed a “Care for Durango” team. Our collective mission is to inform both trail users and visitors in the Durango area about preserving Durango’s beauty and charm for years to come. On busy weekends such as Memorial Day or Fourth of July, ambassadors will be present at trailheads, providing guidance on Leave No Trace principles, proper trail conduct, and much more!

LPOSC participated in ambassador activities at two of our city’s conserved properties—Oxbow and Dalla Mountain Park—over Memorial Day weekend, also making an appearance at the Durango Farmers Market! Either our partners or LPOSC representatives will be at the farmers market every Saturday from 8 to 12, so feel free to drop by and say hello!

This ambassador work highlights the chance for locals and visitors alike to marvel at these conserved lands and a beautiful reminder that many of these areas are under easement and are conserved for future generations, forever.

Left: LPOSC Ambassador work at Oxbow Park and Preserve. Right: LPOSC at the local farmers market.

Senate Bill 24-126 represents a noteworthy achievement for Colorado’s conservation efforts. By elevating the annual tax credit cap by $5 million to reach $50 million, it addresses the pressing need and widens the scope of conservation across the state. Additionally, alongside increasing the cap, the legislation revised the program to include vital oversight measures and to alleviate the financial burden on landowners who opt to conserve their land voluntarily.

These adjustments are essential for upholding the integrity and efficacy of the tax credit program. We eagerly anticipate the beneficial outcomes this legislation will bring to our conservation endeavors!

Rep. Mike Lynch, R-Wellington states: “For over 20 years, hard working people around the state have generously shared the fruits of their labor for the benefit of all Coloradans. It is important that those contributions are not only rewarded but further incentivized. Our bill will ensure that good work can continue, and that the Colorado we know and love is conserved for generations to come.”

In short, SB 24-126:

✅ Raises the tax credit cap to $50 million.  

✅ Eliminates the waitlist.

✅ Enables landowners to receive a maximum of $200,000 in a tax refund in all budget years.

✅ Eliminates the repeal date of the Conservation Easement Oversight Commission and the Certified Holder program, and it creates a new seat on the Conservation Easement Oversight Commission.