The John Litz Stewardship Fund

John Litz helped create Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) in 1972 and guided its success until he passed in late December 2023. He was a tireless and selfless conservation champion who volunteered in every imaginable way – from creating strategies and spreadsheets for land acquisitions and volunteer stewardship to having a shovel in his hand for building trails or restoring wildlife habitat. His leadership and passion helped preserve over 60,000 acres of public open space and parkland and develop over 270 trail miles that host millions of visitors annually. John earned a master’s degree and strongly believed in education at all levels - at open space parks, and from elementary schools through advanced college degrees. 

Given his incredible dedication, in 2013 JCOS named its highest volunteer honor "The John Litz Award". Now the Jeffco Open Space Foundation (JCOSF) has created “The John Litz Stewardship Fund”, to continue his legacy.  This Fund will support three areas – public lands volunteerism, visitor stewardship and courtesy education, and college scholarships for individuals pursuing land conservation degrees and careers. Through a generous anonymous donation and matching funds from JCOSF, this fund has an initial endowment of $50,000 in 2024. The JCOSF would like to build this fund up to $100,000 with individual and business donations and grants. 

Please help us continue John’s incredible legacy by considering a donation to this fund for the good of our public lands through stewardship and education.