Growing up near Washington, DC, Rob Bleiberg saw first-hand the destruction to Virginia’s picturesque landscape as a result of ill-conceived development. As the executive director of Colorado West Land Trust (CWLT), he wants to spare Western Colorado that same fate.

“With 300,000 people slated to move to the western slope in the next 25 years, our landscapes are really going to be impacted,” said Bleiberg. “We have a couple of decades to conserve this land or see these iconic landscapes forever change.”

Bleiberg, 53, and the CWLT staff work diligently with landowners to discuss and create binding conservation agreements that protect and enhance agricultural land, wildlife habitat, recreational areas and scenic lands across six counties. Under these agreements, the landowner continues to own the land, manage it and pay property taxes, but the agreement or easement prohibits the land from ever being developed.

“We want to be welcoming new neighbors, but the question is how do we accommodate the growth which can bring so many positive things and still protect the most important places in the region?” said Bleiberg.

 

Connecting on conservation

That's the question that led a group of Palisade farmers to establish the Mesa Land Trust (MLT) at the height of the oil shale boom in 1980. With a predicted population growth of close to 1 million people, the farmers wanted to protect their agricultural lands from being developed.

“The incredible Palisade landscape, both beautiful and economically productive, was facing extraordinary threats,” said Bleiberg. “There was nothing in place to protect it until these farmers stepped up and did something.”

MLT was run entirely by volunteers until the organization secured enough funding in 1996 to hire a staff, which Bleiberg was thrilled to lead into the future.

In 2017, MLT merged with the Black Canyon Regional Land Trust in Montrose, and the combined organization was aptly renamed to reflect the region it now served: Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Ouray, Gunnison and San Miguel counties. CWLT has conserved more than 120,000 acres of land to date. It's also one of more than 1,500 land trust organizations nationwide.

 

Supporting the economy

Bleiberg explained that land trusts are one of the most effective ways to make a difference in land conservation. Agreements are voluntary, and his staff is available to help guide landowners through the process.

“We are not political or partisan and aren’t trying to tell people what to do with their land. They simply share our conservation vision and desire to make a difference,” he said.

Conservation agreements, while voluntary, are also incentive based. But for many landowners, the biggest incentive is simply protecting the area’s serenity and recreational opportunities, and capitalizing on the economic benefits that come with them.

In 2001, Sister Anne Brost and Sister Mary Glenn saw that beauty reflected in their 94-acre Whitewater property, which they wanted to protect from development. With help from CWLT, they signed a conservation easement, giving them comfort in knowing the land would remain unchanged. Even with the recent sale of their property, the easement transfers with the property to the new owner.

For Gary Roberts and Barbara Parish, it wasn’t as much about conserving the land they already had as it was about making sure that a neighboring ranch didn’t fall into the wrong hands. After hearing talk of possible development, they finalized a conservation agreement in 2017 for a 242-acre ranch between Ridgway and Ouray, which they purchased in order to preserve the area's ranching history and to keep the valley floor open for wildlife.

That was also the intention behind John Welfelt and Stephen Lewis’ decision to purchase 160 acres in Delta County on the Uncompahgre River in the 1990s, which they also backed with a conservation agreement.

“What a great gift from these landowners to conserve amazing landscape that is so unique and beautiful in Colorado, and such an economic driver as well," said Bleiberg. “People want to live here for the quality of life and outdoor recreation. The whole economic impact is a very important piece of our work."

 

It takes a village

In an age of instant gratification, Bleiberg stressed the importance of CWLT’s work for the long term, which would be a lot harder to accomplish without help from community members, city governments and partnering agencies such as Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks & Wildlife.

Years ago, a number of Glade Park residents came together to ensure their area remained a ranching and wildlife community. They conserved 45,000 acres with an additional 10,000 designated for the Department of Parks and Wildlife. Ranchers Dave and Chele Hawks also completed a 780-acre Glade Park conservation agreement in December.

“The land conserved on Glade Park is twice the size of the Colorado National Monument,” said Bleiberg. “It’s wonderful what we can accomplish when we work together.”

By working closely with community members like Rob and Clare Talbott of C&R Farms, CWLT has also helped conserve 45 family farms in Palisade. And thanks to an innovative partnership with the Archeological Conservancy, an elaborate, sacred petroglyph site near Montrose has also been preserved.

“There is collaboration everywhere you look,” said Bleiberg. “I’d much rather come together to achieve goals than to fight.”

The community and CWLT did just that when the Three Sisters area on Monument Road was slated for development. In order to prevent that and protect the property, locals donated anywhere from $5 to $100,000 to CWLT, allowing the organization to purchase the property, which they donated with a conservation easement to the City of Grand Junction. Combined with the Lunch Loop and bookend properties, this area has become a multi-use mecca for thousands of outdoor enthusiasts each year.

Based on the organization’s vision for community and connectivity, the Lunch Loop Connector Trail project, which will link Las Colonias Park, the Colorado Riverfront Trail and the Lunch Loop Trail System, is currently underway.

"We'll be doing revegetation and habitat work, and we're looking for volunteers to help with that," said CWLT Development Director Mary Hughes. "It's a massive undertaking to engineer the trail through that area, but once it's complete, it's going to blend in with the surrounding landscape."

One of Bleiberg's favorite things about his job and CWLT's legacy is seeing people recreating and enjoying themselves.

"I love the quote that ‘People build trails and trails build community,’” said Bleiberg. “It’s a privilege to do work that has a great impact and protects the landscapes around us, values them and passes them along to future generations.”

For more information about Colorado West Land Trust and the benefits of conservation agreements, call 263-5443.

To learn more about planned giving and how to include CWLT in your will or trust, call Hughes at 263-5443.