Now – that’s a mission statement. I’m on the board of the Colorado Conservation Trust and we had a board meeting last week. CCT is one of the best organized non-profits I’ve ever had the privilege to be involved with and is unambiguous about its goal. The mission statement says it all – “Conserve 2,000,000 Acres in the Next Decade – Let’s Get Going.”
I’ve lived in Colorado for 10 years. Part of the magic of this place is the mountains, the open space, and the wide stretches of undeveloped land. Boulder benefits greatly from the city and county’s forward thinking conservation attitude from many years ago, resulting in a magnificent city in an environmentally protected setting. None of this was by accident and I’ve tried to do my part in the last decade to help locally.
CCT broadens this view across the entire state. There are numerous environmental organizations in Colorado – some effective, some not. There is the typical conflict you’d expect from an area that is undergoing huge growth ranging from private property rights to zoning issues to wildlife protection. In addition to actively participating in conservation, CCT has taken a leadership role in understanding what is going on in conservation across the state. Recently, they released Colorado Conservation at a Crossroad – their first comprehensive report on conservation in Colorado
Since it was founded in 2000, CCT has contributed to the protection of more than 30,000 acres in Colorado. It’s raised $10 million from 30 foundations in and over 300 individuals. It’s leveraged the $10 million with an additional $24 million of public and private dollars. It does this with a staff and organization that is 100% underwritten by its board of directors – we cover 100% of CCT’s operating costs so that all of the money that is contributed can be directly deployed against land conservation programs.
If you live in or enjoy Colorado, you should be happy there are folks like Will Shafroth and his team at CCT working hard to help keep it special. We’re always looking for additional support of any kind and – as the end of the year rolls around and you consider any philanthropic giving – I’d encourage you to consider a gift CCT if you are conservation minded and enjoy Colorado. Remember – 100% of your money will go to land conservation – we (the board) has got the admin stuff covered. If you want to learn more or get involved, feel free to contact me.