DLC President’s Letter
They say that as you get older each year passes faster as it is a smaller and smaller percentage of your life. I can attest to that. Last year as I wrote this letter there was snow on the ground and more on the way. This year our moisture arrived a bit late, but is a welcome sight causing our conserved open spaces to spring to life.
As you know DLC has been conserving land since 1987 or 28 years. We have conserved over 22,000 acres of land for its public recreational purpose, agricultural heritage, wildlife habitat, viewscapes and open space. Over 50% of that is open to the public for your use and enjoyment. We are very proud of that record and continue to grow those numbers each year with new conservation projects.
The challenges that confront DLC on a daily basis include ongoing stewardship of the land which we have already preserved. DLC’s conserved properties change hands over time but the original intent to protect the land from development remains. DLC strives to maintain good relationships with the owners of conserved lands to ensure that the conservation values remain the same no matter who acquires the land. As time goes by, the work we need to do to protect our conservation lands will increase. After all we accepted these easements in perpetuity which if I remember from my early schooling is a pretty long time.
With our goal of perpetuity and the rapid changes we are seeing you might ask, “How can you help”?
We would love to see you at upcoming events which are listed on our website.
Coming soon is the second annual Plein Air event on June 27 and 28th, at the White Pavilion on Perry Street, in Castle Rock. Several well-known plein air artists will paint on protected lands during the week and offer their work for sale on the weekend. This event was very successful last year and allows you to view and potentially purchase some wonderful art that will help DLC.
Come hike with us and see the land we preserve and perhaps some of the wildlife we are helping through habitat conservation. There are several scheduled hikes throughout 2015.
Volunteer to help us with a wide variety of projects or serve on a DLC committee.
Support us with a monetary gift.
When I moved here in 1979 I selected Douglas County as it was an easy commute to my office up north, and it also had a lot of open space, beautiful open space. At that time Highlands Ranch, the Meadows, Founders nor many of the other recent developments existed. They exist now because many people were enticed by the same beauty I found. I was lucky to find a wonderful piece of property south of Castle Rock. I donated a conservation easement on the property and became involved with DLC to help preserve the beautiful open space that is still remaining in Douglas County and surrounding areas. I am grateful for every chance I get to work with the DLC board, the staff, our supporters and donors, and the landowners who have entrusted us with protecting their property for generations to come. The idea of preserving land for our heirs to enjoy in perpetuity is very important to me.
As always we are truly grateful for your past and continued support and look forward to seeing you at one of our events. Thank you and Thank you and Thank you! Oh did I forget to say THANK YOU?
– Pete Smith, DLC Board President