New Year, New Opportunities to Protect the Central Colorado You Love

By Wendy McDermott, Executive Director

Happy New Year!  2026 marks the 25th Anniversary of Central Colorado Conservancy. We are looking forward to celebrating this milestone with you throughout the year. Our anniversary kick-off gathering takes place on Moonlight Monday—January 19th—at Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub in Salida. During Moonlight Monday, 10% of all sales ALL DAY whether you dine in at Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub or order to go will be donated to protecting the lands and waters of Central Colorado. We will have staff on site from 4-7pm to chat about our work. Please come join us. 

Since 2001, we’ve worked alongside landowners and our communities to protect the lands and waters that make Central Colorado home. Our steadfast commitment to preserving our rural character and healthy lands and waters drives our work. For 25 years we have built a track record of collaborative conservation with diverse partners across our region. 

Central Colorado Conservancy’s legacy includes: 

• Protecting nearly 7,000 acres through conservation easements and another 3,500 acres through Agriculture Conservation Agreements; 

• Collaborating to create and forever protect the 345-acre Arkansas River Community Preserve;

• Initiating and managing the Envision Chaffee County project that led to numerous successes for forests, recreation, agriculture, and our communities;

• Leading stream restoration projects like the Badger Creek Restoration Project and the South Arkansas River Restoration Project;

• Partnering with the Lake County Conservation District and the Upper Arkansas Conservation District to build capacity for these important local, special districts. 

• Enhancing the resilience of ranching operations and grazing lands through pioneering new, innovative Virtual Fencing technology;

• Connecting volunteers with local ranches through our Hands for Lands Volunteer Program.

As we launch our next 25 years, we are looking forward to permanently protecting four new ranches through conservation easements, totaling approximately 1,200 acres in Chaffee, Park, and Fremont counties. We are also working to protect 5,000 acres through signing new Agriculture Conservation Agreements with Chaffee County agricultural landowners. And, we are working to open the Arkansas River Community Preserve for public enjoyment with Lake County and a new partnership with the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area. 

In addition, we are launching a strategic planning process to create a new 5-year strategic plan that will guide our work and increase our impact throughout the communities we serve. We will be renewing our national land trust accreditation in 2026 as well. This is a rigorous process that ensures we are meeting 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.

I’m pleased to share that we will be launching a Volunteer Ambassador Program this year. We envision having a trained, self‑sufficient team of volunteers who can represent the Conservancy at public events, recruit supporters, and free staff to focus on accomplishing mission-critical work. Volunteer Ambassadors will be fluent in the Conservancy’s mission, vision, and goals. We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about protecting our cherished landscapes and heritage and want to help expand community awareness of and support for the Conservancy - with a goal of helping increase the organization’s capacity and resources—and in the process connect and learn from one another. In addition to these new exciting volunteer opportunities, we will be hiring an AmeriCorps intern to support the Conservancy’s work through communications, community and volunteer engagement and education, and resource

management activities. 

Lastly, we are excited to host a series of events to celebrate our 25th Anniversary throughout the year. Stay tuned for announcements about these events. In the meantime, please save the date for our 2026 Stewardship Gala—September 24th at the Mt. Princeton Resort Pavilion. 

For 25 years, Central Colorado Conservancy has had the honor of standing alongside people who love this region as deeply as we do. Together, we’ve protected the places that make Central Colorado feel like home. Thank you for being part of this journey. We’re honored to celebrate this milestone with you—and to keep this work going together.