Montezuma Land Conservancy (MLC)

MLC continued to expand its community outreach efforts and programs for engagement. Youth internships and K-12 programs continued through Fozzies Farm and the Montezuma Inspire Coalition. Program highlights included connecting over 600 youth and 250 adults, partnering with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe on numerous programs, hosting graduate students from Western Colorado University, a camping trip at Fozzie's Farm with environmental justice interns from Commerce City, providing career exploration programs for local youth in the 4th annual Agriculture Immersion Program, employing high school youth as seasonal interns at the farm, and hosting a two-day teacher workshop about water education strategies called Forests to Faucets. MLC worked on incorporating broader community values into programs and project design. MLC continued working on building its relationship with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and launched the Traditional Harvest Project with the inclusion of 12 landowners and multiple public outreach meetings. Outreach to the Latino community additionally began, thanks to the efforts of our Spanish-fluent Community Programs Assistant who was hired onto the team in 2022.

Stewardship: In 2022, the organization was responsible for stewardship and monitoring of 91 conservation easements totaling over 46,000 acres. No easement restrictions were decreased or terminated, and the organization successfully monitored all conservation easements in its portfolio thereby ensuring the continued protection of these important lands. MLC has begun a volunteer stewardship monitoring team to assist in the annual stewardship of the properties.

Land Protection and Conservation: During 2022, MLC continued working with local landowners on conservation projects throughout the Southwest. MLC closed a new 266-acre easement in November. Additionally, MLC was awarded an archeological assessment grant from the Colorado State Historical Foundation to catalog what archeological artifacts are on the 266-acre property. MLCs conservation program continued working with regional Gunnison Sage Grouse recovery groups in Dolores and San Miguel counties to restore habitat and enhance the capacity of local working groups. MLC was awarded two grants from the Telluride Foundation and the Land Trust Alliance to begin a Climate Resiliency project in our service area looking at ways in which we can help our landowners steward their properties in the face of climate change and to help select new land protection projects that increase climate resiliency. MLC hired a climate resiliency graduate fellow for the project in August.