Keep It Colorado

Keep It Colorado is a statewide coalition of organizations and experts working to advance a unified vision and plan for conservation of private and public lands. We also work to maximize, prioritize, and incentivize the voluntary conservation of private lands (i.e., property not owned by the government). Private landowners play an essential role in creating healthy lands and waters, which we need not only to survive but also to sustain a high quality of life. More than half of land in Colorado is privately owned, making landowners a primary partner in protecting the natural landscapes Coloradans love. Since 1965, Colorado families have conserved more than 3.3 million acres of land that contribute clean water to drink and clean air to breathe; vital local food sources produced by ranchers and farmers; healthy habitats and safe passages for wildlife; and parks and open spaces where we can connect with nature.

Our coalition brings together a broad set of conservation-minded organizations, partners, and funders to advance the scale of high-quality land conservation and make strategic, thoughtful choices about conservation efforts across Colorado. The coalition includes nonprofit land trusts and public agencies, such as county and open space agencies, that directly support private landowners who choose to conserve their properties, or that directly acquire and protect wildlife habitat and public park space. 

Keep It Colorado also advocates for public policy, secures funding, builds public support, and creates opportunities for problem-solving and driving innovation for conservation. A few of our key initiatives include increasing incentives for private landowners to conserve their land; driving the development of Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation; and advocating to enhance conservation policies that protect all the things Coloradans love and want to protect in this great state. 

Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation

Keep It Colorado led the development of a collaborative plan that rallies land trusts and partners around a unified vision for the future of private lands conservation in Colorado. Goals are to double the number of acres of land protected through conservation, double the engagement of Coloradans in conservation efforts and programs, and double the resources needed to support conservation work over the next decade. Published in April 2023, the roadmap focuses on 5 strategic pillars:

1. Climate-resilient Landscapes: Protecting more resilient and connected landscapes, healthy ecosystems, and biodiversity.
2. Community-centered Conservation & Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ): Authentically engaging diverse perspectives and experiences in conservation, so we can conserve more land and deliver more direct benefits to more people. 
3. Collaborative Water Solutions: Increasing work with water conservation partners on solutions and projects that protect water for nature and people. 
4. Resilient Agriculture: Protecting more farmland and ranchland; expanding opportunities to cultivate landscape and economic resiliency; and increasing equitable access to local food production, land ownership and conservation programs. 
5. Lasting Conservation Movement: Increasing awareness of and funding for this critical work and building a conservation movement that is more responsive and relevant to Coloradans now and in the future.

The coalition’s call to action with the roadmap is that people across Colorado see themselves as part of the statewide conservation movement – supporting conservation wherever they can and in whatever ways they can. This includes policy makers, funding partners, and Coloradans who can get involved by volunteering, donating, voting, advocating and engaging in programs.

Testimonials

"Without Keep It Colorado we'd all be working on our own, in our own region, with our own priorities. And that work continues to happen and will get done. But Keep It Colorado allows this ability for collaboration on a statewide scale where we can come together, share what we know about what's important with the work and then leverage that with all of our partners for an overall statewide vision." - Rebecca Jewett, Palmer Land Conservancy

"KIC’s transaction cost assistance program matches an important and specific need within land protection work in Colorado.  For many landowners, the expenses of preparing to donate a conservation easement are a prohibitive barrier, and many properties important to communities are not large enough to compete for other grant funds.  KIC’s program serves to fill that gap and propel community-oriented projects forward, with multiple benefits." - Ben Lenth, Colorado Open Lands

“I learned so much from the Summit, and I always enjoy hearing from members around the state. I am so grateful and proud to be part of this coalition.” - Jessica Foulis, Eagle Valley Land Trust