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Press Release SAN LUIS VALLEY, COLORADO--The Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT), the local land trust in the San Luis Valley, is the recipient of the state’s largest award in the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO) Legacy Grant round, with $7.385 million going towards the Rio Grande Initiative. Governor Ritter announced the awards Monday, December 3rd at the Capitol in Denver. GOCO Legacy grants are awarded every few years in order to achieve landscape scale protection efforts in critical areas of Colorado. This award will fund protection of 5,630 acres of private land through voluntary conservation easements along the Rio Grande river corridor in Mineral, Rio Grande, Alamosa and Conejos Counties in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Once protected, these historic ranches will permanently remain in open space, provide important wildlife habitat and be available for agricultural uses. Key partners on the project include the San Luis Valley Wetlands Focus Area Committee (SLV WFAC), The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. “It’s the strong partnerships that have positioned us to receive this size award,” said Nancy Butler, Executive Director of RiGHT. “We’re building on the work of Ducks Unlimited over the years, appreciate the support and broad experience of the San Luis Valley Wetlands Focus Area Committee and of The Nature Conservancy, and look forward to working with the CDOW to provide real benefit to wildlife through this project. This project grew out of many years and many conversations about how to best meet our community’s needs. “ The Rio Grande Initiative has been in development for several years and has garnered broad based support in the San Luis Valley for its many benefits to the community and its voluntary approach. With support from all four counties, the water users and water districts, as well as many other partners, the Rio Grande Initiative is positioned to achieve substantial conservation of the river corridor and bring funds into the hands of local landowners who choose to keep their land and water intact. “We’re pleased to be part of the solution for the larger community,” said Rio de la Vista, Coordinator of the SLV WFAC. “From all of our planning efforts and research, it is clear that conservation along the river is a priority for the people of the San Luis Valley. Being able to work on such a large scale with these GOCO funds will allow us to really contribute to solutions. It can help us move towards water sustainability, address some of our endangered species issues, and help secure a future for agriculture. It’s very gratifying to receive this award from GOCO and we will do our utmost to use this momentum to achieve even greater conservation successes.” For more information on the Rio Grande Initiative, please visit RiGHT’s website at www.riograndelandtrust.org
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT) RiGHT’s mission:
Note to reporters, following are additional San Luis Valley contacts should you wish to discuss the Rio Grande Initiative with them : Rick Basagoitia, Area Wildlife Manager, Colorado Division of Wildlife 719-587-6900
High-resolution photos of the Rio Grande corridor are available electronically upon request. Please contact Rio de la Vista at 719-850-2255 or riovista@rmi.net for images. |
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