I want to thank everyone who supported, cheered from afar, or was able to join CCALT in Carbondale earlier this month for the 2017 Forever Colorado BBQ. If you attended, I hope you enjoyed the event as much as I did. I don’t think we could have asked for a more beautiful evening to celebrate ranchland conservation, or for more wonderful people to share it with. Nothing says “Colorado” more than watching a warm sunset over Mount Sopris from a freshly cut hay field and a tent full of cowboy hats. 

Each year the staff of CCALT sets out to host a summer BBQ that not only creates opportunities for fellowship and celebration, but that also highlights the importance of this work, both from a people and a “place” perspective. The magnificent setting helped, but I truly believe that we were able to do that in Carbondale. I hope that if you attended you were able to hear Dallas May eloquently speak to how impactful working with CCALT and its conservation partners (like The Conservation Fund) has been to his family. I hope that if you made it to the ranch tour you could appreciate how tightly woven CCALT’s partnerships with other conservation organizations are. Our success is not only measured by our own work, but by the collaborative work of multiple conservation groups working towards a common goal. 

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Nights like Saturday make me even more appreciative of the work that CCALT is doing, and the community of people that we are doing it with. If you’re reading this, I hope you know how much our staff and board value your contribution to this community. Our landowners, partners and donors make up the fabric of this organization. I personally don’t always get a chance to spend as much time with people at our events as I would like, but I hope you know that your friendship and support are what make this work possible and make CCALT so unique. To have people travel from across the country to watch Lynne Sherrod be recognized for her leadership to CCALT and private land conservation in the west is a testament to the bonds we build through this work. 

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I want to end by letting you know that because of our supporters, CCALT’s success on Saturday night was possible. Because of our supporters, ranching families and open space across Colorado will continue to thrive. Because of our supporters, CCALT is able to do great work all year long and have something to celebrate with you every summer. Thank you for showing up for conservation, for ranching, and for the future of Colorado. 

Happy Trails,

Erik L. Glenn
Executive Director 

*All photos courtesy of Ford McClave.