Preserving Our Open Space, One Ranch at a Time
For the second year in a row, Carbondale staffers Kate Schwarzler, Linda Schuemaker, and Jennifer Michaud, along with partners and friends, served beer, wine, and good spirits to some of the most generous people in western Colorado at the Save the Land Dance. The dance is a major annual fundraiser for the Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT), based in Carbondale. Since 1967, AVLT has helped private landowners preserve over 28,000 acres of working family ranches, scenic viewsheds, riparian and wildlife habitat, and recreational areas in the Roaring Fork and upper Colorado River watersheds. This year’s dance honored many of these landowners, whose photos and biographies appear in AVLT’s first book, Our Place, which debuted at the dance. It’s a beautiful tribute that provides a real-life look at these families who have shaped the region for generations, and who will continue to do so through the donation of their land.
