Freddie Fisher Park, a half-acre parcel in the middle of Aspen on the banks of the Roaring Fork, was the first land conserved by Pitkin County Park Association, which later became Aspen Valley Land Trust. Now, 37 years later, AVLT has conserved more than 10,000 acres in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys, which include parts of Pitkin, Garfield, Eagle and Gunnison counties.

A huge thank you goes out to Kit, Mike, Lathrop and Jill Strang for hosting the 1st Annual "Save the Land Dance" on September 18 at their beautiful ranch on Missouri Heights. Thank you also to the very generous donors who provided services, artwork and other items for the silent and live auctions; to Julie Kennedy, who was the main party motivator and organizer; to Paul Anderson, who spoke eloquently about the land and the value of conservation; and of course to the more than 300 people who attended, bought auction items, reconnected with old friends and danced into the night. The party was a huge success as both a fund-raiser and friend-raiser. We are already planning next year’s LAND DANCE, which will be held at another AVLT-conserved property.

Pitkin County: Thanks to a cooperative project with Pitkin County Open Space and Trails (POST) and the Pitkin County Commissioners, the county will purchase a conservation easement on AVLT’s Independence Pass property. AVLT will use that money to help buy an easement from the John Nieslanik family on East Mesa above Carbondale. The Independence property consists of 4+ beautiful acres along the Roaring Fork River east of Aspen, donated to AVLT last year. Important riparian and wetland habitat, this land adjoins the Northstar Preserve and James H. Smith Open Space.

Alpine Bank/Bob Young Family Foundation: Bob Young, chairman of the Board of Alpine Bank, donated $5,000 to AVLT to cover the costs of creating an easement on 85 acres at the west edge of Glenwood Springs. The property is on a hillside visible from Highway 82 and is a main corridor for elk, bears, deer, mountain lions, wild turkeys and other types of wildlife.

Colorado Historic Fund: The Redstone Historical Society received a grant earlier this year from the Colorado Historic Fund to purchase the Redstone Coke Ovens at the entrance to town. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails bought the 14 acres next to the coke ovens and the property is permanently conserved through an easement held by AVLT. AVLT acted as a "straw buyer" and helped meet the state grant requirements, enabling the Historical Society to preserve the coke ovens. To cover the costs of the transaction and to establish a permanent monitoring fund for the property, the Colorado Historic Fund granted $9,000 to AVLT.

Since our last newsletter update, AVLT has received new conservation easements on nine properties. Each has a special quality that makes the land worth preserving in perpetuity.

Canyon Creek: A pair of moose recently took up residence in Canyon Creek where five landowners have conserved 132 acres of undeveloped canyons between Canyon Creek Road and BLM lands. Thank you to Tom Beard and Pam Szedelyi, Bruce and Dale Robinson, Rue Balcomb and Bruce Arbaney, Liz Armstrong, Michelle Alford, and Connie Engler for preserving these beautiful canyons and native habitat.

Turgoose Ranch: Wayne Pollard and Mick Bennett donated an easement to AVLT on 80 acres north of Rifle. This property is the first to be conserved under Garfield County’s Rural Lands Subdivision Exemption regulations. This land-use incentive encourages conservation of ranchlands by allowing limited, clustered development on part of the land, while preserving the other 80% or more with a conservation easement.

Thompson Creek: Jack Arbaney, long-time Valley rancher, conserved 40 acres of spectacular ranchland – part of his family’s original homestead on Thompson Creek above Carbondale. The land is surrounded on three sides by White River National Forest, and includes wetlands, native rangeland, and beautiful aspen/conifer forests.

Redstone: Ted Eck and Mary Wilson, and Jim and Linda Lester donated easements on two lots at the entrance of Redstone (near the Redstone Coke Ovens) protecting the base of the sandstone cliffs on the west side of Highway 133 from further development. These 31 acres of conserved lands border "The Drool," a noted ice climbing formation, and another 30-acre property conserved last year by the LaLone family.

Marble: AVLT has now received conservation easements on several lots in the old Marble Ski Area subdivision overlooking the town and Beaver Lake. Kevin and Wendy Harris recently conserved a lot which adjoins common open space and White River National Forest, while Bill and Pam Rikkers donated their second conservation easement on land that adjoins both common open space and other easements donated to AVLT last year. Marble Ski Area is located on a steep, sunny hillside directly visible from Marble that provides excellent winter habitat for elk. Thank you Kevin, Wendy, Bill and Pam!

Seven Star Ranch: The scenic Seven Star Ranch in Brush Creek, between Highway 82 and Snowmass Village, is a key link in one of the most important elk migration corridors in the Valley. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails purchased the 231-acre ranch this summer to protect this critical habitat. To help assure that the land will be permanently preserved, the previous owners donated a conservation easement to AVLT and then sold the property to Pitkin County. AVLT is pleased to work with Pitkin County to preserve such a special piece of land.

Little Chief Lode Mining Claim: AVLT also received an easement donation on the 10-acre Little Chief Lode Mining Claim in the Hunter Creek Valley from Mr. Lyle Reeder, before he sold the property to Pitkin County. This easement now protects sensitive high alpine habitat on the ridgeline between the Hunter Creek and Woody Creek drainages. In addition, the easement offers commanding views of the Maroon Bells and Van Horn Park to pedestrians and trail users who will be able to continue using the property.

Christina Sloan, who graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law this spring and passed the bar exam just this month, has joined Aspen Valley Land Trust for a one-year legal internship. She is working half-time at AVLT and half-time at Roaring Fork Conservancy. The internship is funded by the Colorado Conservation Trust. Chrissy is reviewing existing conservation easements and drafting new ones for AVLT. She is an avid rock climber and lives in Carbondale with her Norwegian Elk Hound, Harry.

Wally heads up the day-to-day operations of Obermeyer Asset Management Company, and chairs its Investment Committee. Wally also serves as one of the firm's Directors. Previously, Wally was Regional Vice President of Heritage Trust and Asset Management, Inc. He has broad financial and business management experience, including management of the family ski apparel business and a hydroelectric generation company. Wally holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard College with a major in Economics. A long-time outdoor enthusiast and pilot, AVLT is thrilled to have Wally as a member of its Board of Directors.

AVLT is once again helping match conservation easement donors who wish to sell Colorado State income tax credits with taxpayers looking to purchase such credits. If you are a Colorado resident with more than $20,000 in state income tax liability, you may be able to purchase discounted tax credits to offset that liability while helping to support open space conservation. Please call Shannon to learn more, or go to our web site, and click on Tax Credit Transfer Program.

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