January 30, 1931 – June 10, 2024 On June 10, Rex Allen Coffman, 93, passed away at the Sopris Lodge in Carbondale. He was surrounded by his family in the hours previous to his passing. Family was important to him, and the family lived by the code: “Work hard, play hard!” Rex, an only child, […]
conservation
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The Will to conserve
Next month there will be a celebration of land conservation. Conservation: the word comforts me; it has no negative charge. It is green, noncontroversial, popularly embraced and non-partisan. The Oxford dictionary defines conservation as “prevention of wasteful use of a resource.” Property owners may have the will to conserve but seek the means to conserve. […]
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GarCo Report: Study shows bald eagles use Eagle Nest Buffer Zone at Aspen Glen, lobbyist talks tough about public lands issues
Bald eagles ruled the roost at Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting. Photos of eaglets in nests, eagles perched in trees, and eagles swooping for fish in the Roaring Fork river accompanied a presentation of the results of a new study by Roaring Fork Audubon of the Eagle Nest Buffer Zone (ENBZ) at Aspen Glen, […]
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AVLT scores conservation wins
Over the past few months, Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) has successfully conserved hundreds of acres of land, spanning from a conservation easement on a Capitol Creek Valley ranch and another private easement on the Roan Plateau to a connective corridor between the Lazy Glen and Wheatley open spaces. All three are now protected for […]
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Re-United for Thompson Divide
Despite the efforts of Colorado Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper and Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO-2), the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE) Act, which would have protected the Thompson Divide from new natural gas leasing in perpetuity as well as Camp Hale and other landscapes in Colorado, has not made it out of the […]
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Colorado River Basin states fail to agree upon major water conservation measures
Sopris Sun correspondent Olivia Emmer interviewed KUNC’s Water and Environment Reporter covering the Colorado River basin, Alex Hager, about the Bureau of Reclamation’s recent demand to users of Colorado River water. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Would you remind us what happened at the beginning of this summer? The federal government […]
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AVLT strives to protect 50,000 acres by 2032
Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) has recently published a 10-year strategic plan which lays out the organization’s ambitious goal of conserving 40,000-50,000 acres in the next 10 years. AVLT was the first land trust in Colorado and, in its 55 years, has helped conserve 69 square miles of land from De Beque to Aspen. The […]
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Habitat and working ranch conserved near Carbondale
On Tuesday, Aug. 31, a handful of giddy Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) staff members gathered at the Coffman Ranch, 1.5 miles east of downtown Carbondale. They were there to celebrate the organization’s purchase of the verdant property from longtime owners Rex and JoAnn Coffman. The Coffmans purchased the property in the 1950s from the […]
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Garfield County: Land use, near and far
Commissioners tackled a light agenda this week and adjourned the public meeting within an hour and a half. To Boebert on Capitol Hill The meeting began with letters of support for legislation beyond their jurisdiction. Three of these letters were in response to prerogatives pushed by Colorado’s Third Congressional District Representative Lauren Boebert. “We have […]
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Conserved ranch looks to future
At the end of 2020, a conservation easement that had been in negotiation for more than five years came to fruition. Sunfire Ranch, over 1,200 acres near the confluence of the Crystal River and Thompson Creek, sold a $10M conservation easement to Pitkin County Open Space and Trails (PCOST). Support also came from Great Outdoors […]