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Final Workshops of 2023

May 23, 2023

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Reminder!
La Plata Open Space Conservancy has relocated. PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
776 E. 2^ND AVENUE.

The newly conserved Weaselskin property looking particularly lush on a recent monitoring visit

LPOSC is beginning to wind down from a busy spring of listening sessions, workshops, fundraisers, and an office move, but we still have a few events on the horizon, plus an informative open house this evening hosted by La Plata County and CSU Extension. Read on to find something that interests you!

Final 2023 Southwest Stewardship Series Workshop

Noxious Weed Workshop

Struggling with invasive weeds on your land? Wanting to learn more about noxious weed mitigation? Join La Plata County’s Weed Manager and La Plata Open Space Conservancy on a conserved property 1 mile north of Elmore’s Corner on June 8th. Experts will discuss identification and management best practices for common non-native species in the Durango area.

RSVP for the Noxious Weed Workshop on June 8!

Conservation Easements 101 for Realtors

Not just for realtors – this educational workshop on conservation easements and how to navigate real estate transactions involving them will also be useful for appraisers, title and closing officers, lenders, and others involved in real estate. We hope to see you on June 2nd!

Tonight!

Ska Anniversary Party on the Horizon!

Ska Brewing will be celebrating their 28th Anniversary Party on September 9, 2023, and you are invited! The event will take place at Ska’s World Headquarters in Durango, and there will be breweries, friends, family, and great live music. This event has become one of the premier fall events in Durango and this year is shaping up to be the BEST yet! Stay tuned for more event details to come, and check out sponsorship opportunities below…

All proceeds from this event will benefit La Plata Open Space Conservancy’s work to protect land and water here in the Southwest.

We really hope you will consider this wonderful sponsorship opportunity!

Read on for sponsorship levels and their perks. Please email sponsorship inquires to Adrienne at adrienne@lposc.org.

$3,500.00 Sponsor– Entry in all marketing including logo on poster, full page ad in digital event program, social media posts, advertising banner placed at the event, 10 Anniversary Party tickets and 10 commemorative glasses. Recognized in follow up e-mail to all attendees.

$2,000.00 Sponsor– Entry in select marketing, advertising banner placed at the event, 2 social media posts, digital ad in event program, 6 Anniversary Party tickets and 6 commemorative glasses.

$1,200.00 Sponsor– Entry in select marketing, advertising banner placed at the event, ½ page ad in digital event program, 4 Anniversary Party tickets and 4 commemorative glasses.

$750.00 Sponsor– ½ page ad in digital event program, advertising banner placed at the event, 2 Anniversary tickets and 2 commemorative glasses.

$500.00 Sponsor– Advertising banner placed at the event, logo in program, 2 Anniversary Party tickets and 2 commemorative glasses.

IRS Safe Harbor Notice

The Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act, passed and signed into law in December 2022 to combat syndicated easements, contained a “Safe Harbor” provision. This provision directed the IRS to create Safe Harbor language for extinguishment/proceeds clauses and boundary line adjustments in conservation easements. The IRS has issued the Safe Harbor language and landowners now have until July 24, 2023 to amend their conservation easements to substitute the Safe Harbor language for provisions the IRS has determined are not acceptable. Conservation easements executed between 2008-2023 may be affected. This notice only impacts landowners who took a federal deduction when donating their conservation easement. LPOSC recommends landowners work with their lawyer and/or CPA to determine if their conservation easement may be impacted. LPOSC will send a separate notice to conservation easement donors for whom it has current contact information and who may be impacted.

Resources:
IRS Safe Harbor Bulletin
IRS Safe Harbor Notice: Conservation Easements – Safe Harbor Deed Language for Extinguishment and Boundary Line Adjustment

Accreditation

The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. La Plata Open Space Conservancy is pleased to announce it is applying for accreditation. A public comment period is now open.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. La Plata Open Space Conservancy considers it a priority to fulfill the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence. Accredited land trusts have demonstrated fiscal accountability, strong organizational leadership, sound transactions and lasting stewardship of the lands they conserve.

The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how La Plata Open Space Conservancy complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/help-and-resources/indicator-practices.

To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to info@landtrustaccreditation.org. Comments may also be mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments, 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

Comments on La Plata Open Space Conservancy’s application will be most useful by July 21, 2023.

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!

Our mailing address is:
La Plata Open Space Conservancy
P.O. Box 1651
Durango, CO 81302

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News

Remembering Corey Sue

May 3, 2023

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Announcement!

La Plata Open Space Conservancy has relocated! PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
776 E. 2^ND AVENUE.

Remembering Corey Sue Hutchinson

Corey Sue Hutchinson passed away peacefully on April 29, 2023. This quote from Corey’s obituary sums up her love for land and the reciprocal nature of her relationship with loved ones and cherished places:

“Corey’s gift to Durango and beyond is both her vivacious personality and lasting friendships plus her priceless contribution to wetlands and diverse ecosystems. From unicellular organisms to Homo sapiens, Life itself celebrates Corey’s life.”

Corey’s love for nature and the Durango community will be memorialized with a gift she left to LPOSC as part of her estate plans. LPOSC Board and Staff are incredibly humbled and grateful for Corey’s inclusion of LPOSC in her estate plans and will use the donation she left to broaden our impact preserving the cherished landscapes that make Southwest Colorado so special.

To learn more about estate planning in partnership with LPOSC, please visit our website.

A Farewell…

Leah Coe, our GIS & Programs Coordinator, will be leaving LPOSC this month to begin a GIS position with SWCA Environmental Consulting. Leah began working with the organization almost two years ago as a GIS intern, and she has moved through the organization in a few different capacities. She has enjoyed and embraced the land and community work she has been involved in with LPOSC, and plans to continue living a land-driven life moving forward. We wish Leah all the best in her new full-time position!

Outdoor Enrichment Programming
on Conserved Lands

La Plata Open Space Conservancy is partnering with Compañeros to host La Escuelita students on conserved properties for outdoor enrichment programming. We will dig our hands into the working soils of productive veggie farms, learn from southwestern cultural heritage sites, and play along the banks of the rivers that feed our county’s ecosystems. This collaboration, Conservation Connections, began back in 2021 and we are excited to be hosting youth on to the land for the third year running.

Conservation Connections will continue on through the summer as part of the Wellness in Nature collaborative – La Plata Open Space Conservancy is partnering with San Juan Mountains Association, Mountain Studies Institute, and Southwest Conservation Corps to provide outdoor enrichment programming for students in the our region, and much of this programming is happening on conserved lands. Thanks to the many landowners who have offered to host programming on their properties!

Cheers to open spaces!

Join us for the 2023 Southwest Stewardship Series

Noxious Weed Workshop

RSVP for the Noxious Weed Workshop on June 8!

Conservation Easements 101 for Realtors

Ska Anniversary Party on the Horizon!

Ska Brewing will be celebrating their 28th Anniversary Party on September 9, 2023, and you are invited! The event itself will take place at Ska’s World Headquarters in Durango. There will be breweries, friends, family, and live music! This event has become one of the premier fall events in Durango and this year is shaping up to be the BEST yet! Stay tuned for more event details to come, and check out sponsorship opportunities below…

All proceeds from this event will benefit La Plata Open Space Conservancy’s work to protect land and water here in the Southwest.

We really hope you will consider this wonderful sponsorship opportunity!

Read on for sponsorship levels and their perks. Please email sponsorship inquires to Adrienne at adrienne@lposc.org.

Accreditation

Comments on La Plata Open Space Conservancy’s application will be most useful by July 21, 2023.

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!

Our mailing address is:
La Plata Open Space Conservancy
P.O. Box 1651
Durango, CO 81302

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Noxious Weed Workshop

April 21, 2023April 24, 2023

June 8 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Join La Plata County’s Weed Manager and La Plata Open Space Conservancy on a conserved property 1 mile north of Elmore’s Corner to identify common species and discuss management best practices.

We’ll have snacks and beverages available. Come prepared to walk up to one mile at an easy pace. The specific property location will be provided upon RSVP.

RSVP today

Conservation Easements 101 for Realtors

April 19, 2023April 27, 2023

June 2 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Learn the ins and outs of conservation easements during this workshop for realtors. Join us for a special presentation by Tax Credit Connection’s Ariel Steele, and earn 3 continuing education credits if you are a real estate professional. See you there! Registration encouraged.

Living with Beavers

March 21, 2023March 21, 2023

April 20 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Learn about these unique creatures and how to integrate them into your rural property. Nichole Fox, founder of Give a Dam, will cover how beavers can improve drought and wildfire resilience, agricultural yield, wildlife habitat, and more! This session will take place at the Durango Public Library.

RSVP Here

Soil Health Workshop

March 20, 2023April 11, 2023

April 13 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

LOCATION CHANGE!

Learn about the importance of soil health, how to assess it, and how to improve it. Featuring experts from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Dryside Rancher Dale Horvath, this session will take place at the Animas Valley Grange at 7271 County Rd 203 (1 mile north of Trimble).

RSVP Today

Southwest Land Access – Community Listening Session – Ignacio

March 20, 2023March 20, 2023

April 24 @ 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Join us for community listening sessions!

Are you a land seeker or landowner? Are you a farmer, rancher, aspiring farmer or rancher, or an advocate for land or food justice? Are you interested in joining others to discuss opportunities to increase equitable land access in Southwest Colorado? Then we encourage you to join us at an upcoming land access community listening session!

According to the Agrarian Trust (AT), thousands of farmers and ranchers with 400 million acres of land in the United States are starting to retire, yet the next generation of farmers struggle to access land.

La Plata Open Space Conservancy has formed a partnership with Montezuma Land Conservancy and the Old Fort at Hesperus to research existing land access models and to explore opportunities that may best fit our local area. This work will involve a community engagement process to discuss barriers and opportunities to land access and how organizations such as land trusts might be able to support such efforts.

Join us for our fifth and final listening session at the Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum Ignacio on April 24!

RSVP here!