Healthy Landscapes

From 14,000 foot mountain peaks to agricultural workings lands and intact areas along rivers and streams for wildlife, the landscapes of Western Colorado are as variable in geography as they are beneficial to the people who call it home. 

The Sonoran Institute works to support community-based conservation efforts that enhance and maintain Western Colorado’s valuable landscapes for the multiple benefits they provide. We assist the Garfield Legacy Project in their effort to promote the creation of a voluntary, non-regulatory open lands conservation program in Garfield County. We also provide support to the Middle Colorado River Watershed Partnership in developing a unified voice working toward the health of the Colorado River.

Supporting Garfield County’s Open Lands

The Sonoran Institute is a partner to the Garfield Legacy Project (GLP), a group of citizens and organizations working to create a county-wide open lands conservation program in Garfield County. The Institute provides technical assistance to GLP in support of the group’s goal of creating an effective open lands program.

Along with the Sonoran Institute, the Garfield Legacy Project has partnered with Garfield County, Aspen Valley Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land to complete a financial feasibil­ity study and public opinion survey focused on establishing an effective open lands program. More recently, this same partnership – with the Trust for Public Land as the fiscal sponsor – applied for and received funds to complete an open space visioning project that will engage citizens in identifying and prioritizing local conservation goals.

The Sonoran Institute’s Western Colorado Legacy Program supports GLP’s goals by:

• Assisting in community outreach and engagement by coordinating important public meetings, workshops and speaking events.

• Providing technical assistance with research, meeting coordination and communication.

• Applying for and managing grant funding for program support.

“Like” the new Garfield Legacy Project page on Facebook

Middle Colorado River Watershed Partnership

The waters of the Colorado River are valued for the many services they provide: irrigation that sustains working farms and ranches, habitat for a diversity of plants and animals, world-class recreational opportunities and so much more. Stakeholder groups associated with these varied interests all play an active and important role in working to shape the use and flows of the Middle Colorado, and their participation in regional watershed issues should be expected to continue. As growth and change continues to occur in this region, developing a forum for these voices to come together and work in partnership towards common goals becomes increasingly important. 

The Middle Colorado River Watershed Partnership (MCRWP) formed in September of 2009 as a collaboration of interested organizations and individuals to promote conservation and stewardship of the Middle Colorado River watershed, which encompasses the stretch of the Colorado River between Glenwood Canyon and DeBeque Canyon and its tributaries.

To learn more about the Middle Colorado River Watershed Partnership, click here.