Land is the solution


​Resilience is one of Aspen Valley Land Trust's core values. With your support, we seek to conserve lands that foster resilient ecosystems, food systems, and communities in the face of increasing development pressure, declining natural resources, and a changing climate.
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The land knows how to take care of us. From cleaning our water and air, storing carbon, mitigating risks from drought, fires, and floods, to supporting wildlife survival, land is the solution.

If we take care of the land, it will take care of us. 
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The greatest risk to our forever mission


Conservation is a forever promise. By keeping natural places natural now, we are investing in the future of all places, here in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys and beyond.

​The effects of a changing climate are affecting conserved lands and their natural values. Rising temperatures of our air and water, fires, mudslides, frost exposure, and spread of invasive species can all be combated by the power of nature. The health of our land is the health of our future. 

As stewardship partners of the land conserved through AVLT, increasing climate resilience is how we will protect these special places. 
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How we build climate resilience


By protecting and caring for private land, AVLT has already been building climate resilience for 58 years.

By helping protect natural places, farming and ranching for the future, giving wildlife room to move, live, and thrive, and supporting resilient communities, you can invest in the health of our future. Conservation is how we give nature the chance to fight back. In this critical time for nature, you can help us increase the rate of conservation to increase the power the resilience of the places you love.

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Protecting natural places


Keeping natural places natural is one of the most effective ways to combat climate change. One of the biggest jobs of protected land is absorbing and storing carbon. This carbon sequestration helps clean our air, benefitting water, plants, and our health.

Protecting land also protects biodiversity. Increased diversity of plants, fish, and wildlife strengthen natural places.

Natural places also serve as a buffer against extreme weather events. Wetlands, riparian areas, and open spaces are among the best defenses from flooding, air and water pollution, and invasive weeds and pests.

Protecting natural spaces protects the health and safety of our future.


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Farming and ranching for the future


Working farms and ranches in our region play a critical role in making us disaster ready, supporting our health, and preserving our community's culture and way of life.

Beyond better food access and more nutritious produce and protein, farmers and ranchers have the unique ability to keep soil healthy, reduce the chemicals in our food systems, land, and water, and provide space for wildlife.

Through regenerative agriculture practices, building soil, and growing plants that pull carbon from our atmosphere, farmers and ranchers can increase the producivity and health of working lands and sustain their business.

Supporting sustainable farmers and ranchers supports a sustainable future.
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​Giving wildlife room to live, move, and thrive 


The unique wildlife native to this area use a variety of habitats and move from higher elevations during the warm months to lower elevations during the cold months. Conserving elk and deer habitat will also benefit many other species and maintain natural resource connectivity from mountaintops to river bottoms.

Wildlife are an important element to the health of the land. They need pathways to migrate and to find food and shelter throughout changing seasons. As temperatures and water conditions change, wildlife face more challenges to the health of their populations.
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Giving wildlife access to food, water, and shelter gives them the chance to play their role in this ecosystem and survive in this region.

 
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Building resilient communities


​Investing in the resiliency of land also invests in the resiliency of your community.
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Protecting land helps towns and neighborhoods reduce loss from natural disasters and will continue do so at an accelerated rate.  Conservation also invests in rural communities and long-term economic returns. According to a study by Colorado State University, Colorado residents receive roughly up to $12 in benefits in return for each $1 invested in conservation.

This work supports not only our physical health, but our mental health and vitality in the face of new challenges such as COVID-19 and ever-increasing time indoors and in front of screens. Building climate resilience and protecting additional key lands will require a resilient and diverse community.

Investing in the places you love invests in the health, well-being, and future of your community.

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​How you can help


​DONATE
Land is the solution, but the choice must be made now. 

To date, we have protected 48,000 acres of open space and natural places. Through the Strategic Conservation Plan and with your help, our goal is to conserve another 40,000 acres in the next ten years. This will only be possible with your help!
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LANDOWNER RESOURCES
​As stewards over conserved properties, landowners are uniquely positioned to help build resilient land. AVLT's goal is to support landowners and your goals for your land. Contact Bud Tymczyszyn at [email protected] or 970.963.8440 to learn more.
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READ AVLT'S STRATEGIC CONSERVATION PLAN
The conservation priorities laid out in the Strategic Conservation Plan are important to AVLT’s overall aim to improve the region’s resilience to climate change. This science-based approach to protecting land combines data with partner expertise to select projects with an overall focus on increasing climate resilience. Along with your support, this roadmap is how AVLT will conserve the next 40,000 acres of land that matters most to the working farms and ranches, water, and wildlife you love.
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