and Easements on Lookout Mountain: The Foresight of a Few Just west of Denver and up the sweeping foothills above Golden lies a land almost utterly void of development. Though it is over a thousand more feet in elevation than Denver, the ‘weather is very different than it is in the Mile High Ci . The summers are coo! and relaxing while the winters can be harsh and yet beautiful. The vast amount of land there envelopes the few houses scattered across the landscape. Lookout Mountain has been an attraction for tourists and settlers sinee the mid-nineteenth century because of its proximity to Denver and spectacular views. That attraction drew many people from all over the United States hoping to settle on their own land. These people quickly snatched up the area for their own. Today a lot of the mountain hhas been divided and built upon except for a remote portion north and west of Interstate 70. This portion of land stretches from two points—Loveland and Black Hawk—all the way down through Clear Creek Canyon to Golden. Besides those few settlers who were lucky enough to build, the land has not had much of a human imprint left upon it since there are still portions of undeveloped land. This was due to a small number of conservationists who had the vision to keep the land in its natural environment as much as possible. By doing this, these conservationists hoped to save the plants and wildlife in the area from being destroyed by development. The ecosystem in this small area could have been disrupted if it was turned into a housing development. A few organizations popped up over the course of the twentieth century with the intent of preserving the area. Each had its own vision when it began, but all eventually had the same goal—to keep the land from being developed and preserve it for the enjoyment of future generations. The foresight of those few organizations and the passage of the Jand easement law in Colorado helped to preserve land along the Clear Creek Canyon against housing and commercial development.‘The idea of conservation has been around for centuries, but it did not really become popular topic until it began to be a public issue under the Roosevelt administration in 1908. President Roosevelt was the president who put the most U.S. land under national and state park protection, which was more than any other president. Conservation became more of a public issue under his administration not when it came to parks, but when it came to his administration's natural resource program. This program had covered irrigation, forest, range, minerals, and water. His administration pushed for the conservation of all natural resources, but this faced opposition from Congress. Because of this, conservation came to mean, the “foresight and restraint in the exploitation of the physical sources of wealth as necessary for the perpetuity of civilization, and the welfare of present and future generation.” It had been formally known as reservoir storage and controlled grazing. After the administration brought conservation to the public with this program, those who came to support it “were prone to look upon all commercial development as mere materialism, and upon conservation as an attempt to save resources from ‘use rather than to use them wisely.”? Many people had a problem with government controlling all natural resources since there is a way for land to be preserved outside of federal control. A lot of Americans did not want the government to control conservation and instead put in under private control which would stop federal interference and regulation.’ This is why many conservation groups do not look to preserve land under government control. They work with the government instead of working under federal control. These conservation groups included Rilliet Park Association, Northwoodside Inc., and Clear Creek Land Conservancy, all who did not want ‘government controlling their every move, They looked to work within themselves to preserve " Samuel P. Hays. Conservation and the Gaspel of Efficiency: The Progressive Conservation Movement, 1890-1920, Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1959, p. 123. * Ibid. p. 141. "bid, p. 241.land instead of giving the land up to the government to preserve. National and state parks have been around a long time, but they are funded and controlled by the government. These conservation organizations would not be able to do things their own way if they were not privately controlled. One way to permanently stave off development is through land easements. A land casement “is a voluntary restriction, placed by a landowner, on the use of his or her property...to protect significant natural areas, agricultural lands, open spaces, wildlife corridors, or historie structures on that property.”* The landowner is able to retain the title to the property and donates the easement to a qualified conservation organization such as a land trust.’ This ensures that future owners of the land can only use the property as specified by the Iandowner in the easement. Landowners are able to continue any pre-existing use of the property, or use it as they wish, as long as any such use does not come into conflict with the purpose of the conservation easement.® Any existing use of the land such as ranching and farming can be continued as long as there is not further development, Many people enter into a conservation easement with the intent to protect their land, but there are also tax benefits.” Preserving the land may not be the main reason that someone enters into a land easement—they may just want to save some money. People who enter into an easement may do so for a multitude of reasons. Because of this, no two conservation easements are the same. The only requirements are that the wishes of the landowner “be compatible with the conservation purposes involved and, if tax benefits are desired, that they match the public policy purposes outlined in the Internal Revenue Code.”* The land easement can only bea key to conservation as long as it helps in some way to preserve the land. This legal 4 “Preserving the Land with Conservation Easements.” (Eaglewood, CO: Colorado Open Lands, 1996), p.2. Ibid, p.2. SBbid,, p.3. “bid: p. 4. "Tid, p.5.side to conservation has only been around since the 1970’s, but land easements have been around for longer. ‘Though it was not legalized until the 1970°s, land easements, the key to land conservation, have been around since the nineteenth century. Conservation groups had been looking for a way for conservation easements to be recognized under law. In 1976 Colorado legislature and governor put into place the Colorado Conservation Easement Statute which determined “who may receive such easements and for what purpose such easements may be received.”? With the passage of this statute, conservation easements suddenly had legal standing and soon they became very popular. It was also under this statute that people who entered into these easements would have tax benefits.’ Colorado was not the very first to pass legislation on this subject as the Uniform Conservation Easement Act was approved nationwide in 1981.! Now almost all states have some sort of conservation easement law put into place, The amount of land put into easements has increased dramatically since then. In the United States, the amount of land protected under easements has gone from as little as 128,001 acres in 1980 to a little more than five million in 2003, protected by about 17,847 land easements.” Even though Colorado was one of the frontrunners of legalizing conservation easements, the rest of the country soon followed suit and it shows no sign of slowing down. ‘The idea of preserving land for future generations under land easements was very tantalizing for a lot of people in the United States once legislation was passed. The close proximity of Lookout Mountain to Denver attracted not only settlers, but also * Colorado Revised Statutes secs. 38-30.5-101 through 111. The Colorado Conservation Easement Law "id. '' Federico Cheever, “Public Good and Private Magic in the Law of Land Trusts and Conservation Easements: A ‘Happy Present and a Troubled Future.” Denver University Law Review 73 (1996): 1078. ® Nancy McLaughlin, “Rethinking the Perpetual Nature of Conservation Easements.” Harvard Environmental Law Review 29 (2008): 424,developers toward the end of the nineteenth century. Developers thought the land would be a good investment since many people would hope to find a place to get away that would not be too far from Denver. By 1879 the settlers already had a church, school, and cemetery, but much of the area had yet to be claimed.'? This led to developers having an interest in the area. Soon after the first early wave of settlers, “developers acquired some of the private land and converted homesteads to subdivisions with lots to be sold for summer residents.”'* Due to the natural beauty of the area and the cool summers, Lookout Mountain was a hotspot for investors looking to make money. The earliest land promotion for the area was posted in fliers around Denver by the Denver-Lookout Mountain Resort, Land, Transit and Improvement Company in 1889.'° This was only the beginning of companies looking to open resorts on the mountain for summer vacationers. ‘The idea of a summer getaway inspired a lot of people to find some sort of reason to travel to Lookout Mountain. One group was the Colorado Mountain Club which was founded in 1912 by twenty-five men and women united in their love for mountain scenery. Members, both men and women from across Colorado, were immediately attracted to Lookout Mountain for its hiking and skiing ventures as well as its wildlife. The club was appreciative of mountain beauty and looked to keep the land available for people who wanted to enjoy it through recreation activities. As soon as property became available some members of the club purchased 405 acres of it and set about to preserve it from housing and commercial development, but they still used the land for their own enjoyment.'® It was proposed, in letters to members, that members could ajoym ” Robert J. Weimer, “Barly History of Rilliet and Sprucedale Parks, Lookout Mountain: 1865-1925." (May 1999), pl Wid... 1 * Ibid. p. 6 Club House for the Mountain Club and a Cabin Site for You.” The Colorado Mountain Club Trail and Timberline, Februrary 1924, p, 1have the chance to buy up a lot on that property to use as a getaway and form a sort of club.!” In a monthly publication of the Colorado Mountain Club, there was an offer to sixty members to have a piece of land only an hour from Denver “where Club members could go for dinner or for overnight, summer or winter, and could count on a delightful Sunday with a book or friends in the club house.""* This offer was only available to members of the Colorado Mountain Club. A few members did take the Colorado Mountain Club up on its offer and formed the Rilliet Park Association on May 27, 1924. This was one of many developments of subdivisions on Lookout Mountain in the 1920°s. The Rilliet Park Association wanted to focus on not only keeping the Jand available for their own enjoyment as the Club proposed, but also for density development with much of the land dedicated to open space. They wanted to be able to develop the land for themselves, but also keep most of it available as open space. This began what would be a near century of land conservation on Lookout Mountain. ‘When it was first founded, the Rilliet Park Association did not only focus on preserving its land, In its Articles of Incorporation, Rilliet hoped to develop mountain properties, purchase and sell real property, farm, develop reservoir sites, quarry rock, and “grant privileges and donate special tracts of land to ot for the use or benefit of the Colorado Mountain Club.” Rilliet was not solely founded for the purpose of preserving the Iand—the organization looked to use the land for a lot more than appreciating its beauty. The corporation consisted of sharcholders who all were members of the Colorado Mountain Club and they had a say to what Rilliet would focus on. These shareholders all owned property within Rillict Park so they all had an interest in what "Did. p 1. "Wid "8 Weimer, “Early History,” p.4 ® Articles of Incorporation of Rilliet Park Association. Clerk and Recorder, City and County of Denver, une 5, 1924.‘went on in the area.”" The members of Rilliet Park Association did appreciate the beauty of the Jand and hoped to keep it that way as much as possible. However, the members did not want ‘many people to know about the area since they wanted to keep the land intact for their own enjoyment.” During a board meeting on April 5, 1948 the board members discussed the problem of outsiders using the Park property for recreational purposes and they concluded that if outsiders ‘wanted to use the property they would have to sign a lease as well as a list of rules.” The association had a problem with anyone who was not a shareholder using the Park’s land for recreational purposes. This could have been for the benefit of the shareholders as well as to keep the land from being too heavily populated. This would not be the association's only problem. The association came across a few problems in its near-ninety years of existence. One issue was the problem of money as Rilliet did not have much for a while. In a letter addressed to Rilliet Park shareholders, the first president of the association wrote that the “association has certain fixed costs, among which are taxes, caretaker’s compensation and insurance. When our property is used by outsiders these costs are materially increased.”™ Any damage done by visitors to the Park had to be fixed by the organization. Within the first ten years of its existence, the association was in debt to others, including the Colorado National Bank, and had a lot of unpaid bills stacking up.** In order to receive some sort of income, Rilliet rented portions of its property out to the YWCA and other clubs on the condition that certain courtesy of the land would be paid attention to. ‘The Rillict Park Associ m was also dealing with the conservation of its own land as ® Katharine B. Crisp, “Lest We Forget It Happened 44 Years Ago.” Rillet Park: 75 Years, 1999, p. 13. ® Minutes, Board of Directors Mceting, Rilliet Park Association, April S%, 1948. ibid. % George C. Berard, Letter to Owners of Rillet Hill, 1926. * Minutes, Rilliet Park Association, April 28%, 1927-December 10*, 1934, In debt to Colorado National Bank can be found: George C. Berard, Letter to all Stockholders of Rillet Park Association, January 17, 1927.well as trying to keep outsiders from venturing in, During an annual meeting of stockholders on December 12, 1966, “Coleman reported that horsemen from Paradise Hills are also riding down through Rilliet Park, adding to the problem of crosion.””* This is an example of the concern of members for the continued preservation of their property and the damage that traffic can cause, but this concern may be that they do not want others to venture on private property. It was proposed during that meeting to replace a sign that forbade trespassing on Rilliet property as well asa padlock on the gate that the riders were using.” This is one example of Rilliet trying to keep its land under preservation and in good condition. Later in its existence, discussions amongst the members about the lack of money led some to talk of more drastic measures. During a meeting in 1959, members of the association discussed the balance of the treasury and the report on it showed that the bills for taxes and repairs were greater than the income that the association was receiving.”* Rilliet had to find some source of income quickly. Throughout the decade that followed, some members suggested selling off property to interested buyers. Many of these members knew someone who was interested in buying a lot within the Park.® Also, some of these interested buyers were developers who looked to turn the area into a subdivision” The association made due with leasing land to interested buyers instead of selling.” Rilliet was able to find some sort of ineome without having to sell to others by leasing instead which still brought in traffic to the area, but ‘was able to restrict the amount of traffic since they leased. A couple of months later, it was a concern among the members that one man who was leasing would build on that leased * Minutes, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Rlliet Park Association, December 12, 1966, Inia, ™ Minutes, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Rlliet Park Association. December 14%, 1959, Minutes, Meeting of Board of Directors, Rillit Parke Association, June 30*, 1963. ® Minutes, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Rlliet Park Association, December 14%, 1959, >! Minutes, Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Rilliet Park Association, December 14*, 1964.property.** Members thought about the idea of restricting the number of houses built on that property to avoid the possibility of the property becoming subdivided in the future.** This was ‘one way that the organization dealt with problems of money and selling to interested buyers. Rilliet was able to find ways to make money without having to sell off land, but development ‘would always be an issue for the area. Development was still an ongoing problem for the Lookout Mountain area, More and more land around Denver was becoming developed as people were looking for places to live. ‘The western edge of Golden was pushing farther west which in turned pushed people up into the foothills. Lookout Mountain had to deal with more visitors as people flocked to the area for property or for a summer getaway.”! The lucky few Denverites who were able to visit the area ‘treasured it immensely. One woman who did was Carla Swan Coleman who came from a wealthy family in Denver. Her father, Henry Swan, was a successful engineer who worked on a lot of projects along the Front Range and Coleman traveled with her father in stagecoach throughout the region.”> As a frequent visitor to the Lookout Mountain area as a child, Coleman developed a love for the outdoors and the need to have a mountain retreat. She was also a member of the Colorado Mountain Club and visited with other members who had property around Lookout Mountain.** Once she married, Coleman moved with her husband to a cabin in the area and they soon “purchased five cabins and many underdeveloped lots...to constrain additional development.” She also bought stock in the Rilliet Park Association to prevent development in Rilliet Park.”” This was during the time that Rilliet was in need of funds and * Minutes, Board of Directors Meeting, Rilliet Park Association, February 27°, 1965. » Wid. “Historical Census Population.” Department of Local Affairs: Strengthening Colorado Communities; available from: * Speech by Carla Swan Coleman at Mount Vernon Country Club, December 30, 1986. % Weimer, “Early History,” p. 6. * Weimer, p. 5:10 ool 1g to sell. Coleman was one reason why the association did not decide to do so. Carla Coleman would continue to be an influence in the region until the day she died. Residing in Rilliet Park gave Coleman the ability to further stop the development of as much land as she could. One such area that she focused her energies on was on the idea of a wild flower preserve and museum around her own property.** This she had to get permission from Rilliet Park Association to do since it would let outsiders in to the Park, but she saw it as an opportunity to educate others about preservation.”* Coleman’s energies were not focused solely on preserving property within the park for her own enjoyment, but also for the public’s education. Another area that she and her husband focused on was the Beaver Brook Trail. This trail was Colorado’s first historic trail, laid out in 1919 along Clear Creek Canyon by pioneer Strode Ralston and the Colorado Mountain Club." Coleman hoped to preserve the private lands along Beaver Brook as a wilderness park that would be privately owned, but open for the enjoyment of the public.’! She did not want to preserve these lands for her benefit, but for the benefit of others. Coleman did own Jand within Rilliet Park, but she was also leasing land along the Beaver Brook Trail from the association as well and in 1965, she hoped to extend her lease holdings around the Trail.’? This would help Coleman to further protect the Beaver Brook Trail. However, members of Rilliet were against this idea since it would bring in more public traffic due to Coleman’s purpose in educating others about wildlife preservation."* Though Coleman dream of protecting the Trail completely would eventually be obtained, Rilliet did not help her at first in that goal. In that same year, Coleman approached a board member of the association with * Minutes, Board of Director Meeting, Rilliet Park Association, November 21", 1963. » Agreement between Rilliet Park Association and Carla Swan Coleman, April 17", 1964. **“Chronology of Conservation in Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado.” Clear Creek Land Conservancy, 2010; available from: < htip:/www.clearcreeklandconservancy.org/conservation_history.html>; accessed 31 October 2013, ad © Minutes, Board of Directors Meeting, Rilliet Park Association, February 27°, 1965. © Did,il the idea of Rilliet Park Association purchasing the rest of the gulch on Lookout Mountain all the way to Clear Creek. This shows that Coleman had the intention of protecting more than just Lookout Mountain and she knew that it had to be done through an organization since she could not do it alone. Coleman had to find a way to preserve the lands she owned. To assist in achieving this ‘goal, she formed Northwoodside, Inc., which was started as a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation in 1967 in order to promote her idea of a park."* The vision of Northwoodside is to preserve the “wild lands along the south rim of Clear Creek Canyon and other arcas of open space along the Front Range.™° The organization was only looking to preserve land and it was built on Coleman's own land holdings. Once Coleman and her husband died, her shares of Rilliet transferred to Northwoodside so the organization had a hand in Rilliet’s workings as well. Carla Coleman was involved in not only Northwoodside, but also in Rilliet, which gave her an opportunity to continue to preserve land. On December 13, 1971, during an annual meeting of stockholders of Rilliet Park Association, Coleman “stated that since Northwoodside is interested in preserving Beaver Brook Trail, they wish to make a formal request they be given first chance to buy that common property which adjoins Beaver Brook Trail if the stockholders ever vote to sell all common ground to a developer.”” Coleman was always interested in the preservation of Beaver Brook Trail. During a Board of Directors meeting on December 5", 1977, Coleman and President Charles Miller proposed the purchase of all of the approximately 220 acres of common property, plus the twelve unsold lots in Rilliet.“* Both Coleman and Miller were on the board of directors of Northwoodside as well. Northwoodside was the organization that would be best to “ tid. © Weimer, p. 5. * Pamphiet, Northwoodside. 4 Minutes of Annual Meoting of Stockholders, Rlliet Park Association, December 134, 1971. “Minutes of Board of Directors Mecting, Rilliet Park Association, December 5*, 197712 preserve land around Lookout Mountain and no longer Rilliet, which was no longer looking to buy up land around the mountain. Due to the association’s past efforts, Rilliet has been kept much in the same way since it started.“ Northwoodside would work closely with Rilliet Park Association and other conservation organizations to help preserve land along Clear Creek Canyon. Coleman’s vision of preserving land along Clear Creek Canyon led the way for others to do the same. Clear Creek Land Conservancy (CCLC) sprung up from Coleman's ideas looking to help preserve land along the canyon. She, and many of her neighbors, helped to establish the private, non-profit organization, which through land acquisitions or conservation easements will be able to protect the lands around their home.*? Conservation easements will be a vital part in jump starting the organization's success, The founders’ goal was “to place the canyon—all 16,000 acres of it—into a protected status so it never would be dotted with homes, offices, and shopping centers that have plundered other canyons’ natural beauty.”' This was a huge goal for the CCLC, but the canyon had to be protected in its entirety. Established in 1986 CCLC envisioned Clear Creek to be “a place where people and nature exist together for the benefit of both—where visitors...can appreciate the natural and historical significance of Clear Creek while the area’s plants, wildlife, water quality, and scenery are managed and enhanced to ensure that this beautiful canyon remains in its near-to-natural state forever.” CCLC focused completely on the co-existence between humans and wildlife, Humans can be beneficial to wildlife by being the ones who protect it—not the ones who damage it—and teach others to do the same. The organization works with landowners, businesses, and government bodies to help 2 Minutes of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Rilliet Park Association, December 12", 1977. ® Dyan Zaslowsky. “Focus: Land Trusts; Preserving Wilderness Property.” The New York Times, October S", 1986. 5! Rebecca Jones. “Conservancy group fights to protect scenic canyon.” Rocky Mountain News, September 7", 1986, Who We Are: Our Vision, Our Mission.” Clear Creek Land Conservancy, 2010; available from: ; accessed 31 October 2013,13 protect the canyon from “rim to rim.” Every aspect of Clear Creek Canyon had been looked after by CCLC in cooperation with these other groups of people. What the CCLC makes a point of more than Rilliet Park Association and Northwoodside, Inc. is that even a simple thing such as a trail or a grazing area can destroy a natural area. The CCLC explained that when soil is disturbed, invasive weeds can become the dominant plant since they mature well even on Colorado's driest slopes. Even the smallest amount of development can disturb the environment. CCLC does manage land to make sure it is available for others enjoyment, but also makes sure that any new development, such as the building of a new trail, docs not disturb the ecosystem as much as possible. Clear Creek Canyon also serves as ‘a natural migrating corridor for wildlife. Elk, deer, mountain lions, and bears can be seen all over Lookout Mountain and the canyon.°° With the increasing amount of humans flowing in and out of the area—either through development or through ski traffic and summer vacations—more people come into comtact with more of these animals and often the wildlife ends up as road kill. Only a few of the canyons carved by Colorado rivers “have a combination of unique geology, primitive area qualities, and access for people to enjoy scenic beauty.”*" The Clear Creek Canyon is one of those canyons and has been compared to the Royal Gorge and Glenwood Canyon so it should be preserved. This focus on protecting the environment in and around Clear Creek Canyon has motivated the group to work with others to achieve that goal of conservation. hi “Wild Places.” Clear Creek Land Conservancy, 2010; evailable from: _qhup/www.clearerecklandconservancy.org/wild places htm> * “Wildlife.” Clear Creck Land Conservancy, 2010; available from: Historical Census Population.” * Robert J. Weimer. “Geologic Uniqueness of Clear Creek Canyon.” Clear Creek Landy Conservancy Annual Report, 2000. * tid14 Once Clear Creek Land Conservancy was created, all three groups in the area worked together to preserve Lookout Mountain and Clear Creek Canyon. Rilliet Park Association, Northwoodside, Inc., and Clear Creek Land Conservancy were all brought together because of Carla Coleman, When CCLC was formed in 1986, the organization received 240 acres that she had purchased from the Lueian Ralston Estate and Norman Ralston.” This easement permanently protected over a mile of the Beaver Brook Trail. Northwoodside also owns the title to this land since it had been a part of Coleman’s that she had donated to that group originally. Coleman had an immense amount of land in the area that she had held to protect from development. She had bought “105 of the authorized 200 shares [in Rilliet] to prevent development on 273.5 acres” of Rilliet Park.” Coleman had the controlling interest in the association to be able to stop a lot of the land from being developed. When she formed Northwoodside, Coleman put most of her land and Rilliet shares into the organization.” This meant that Northwoodside would have a control over a certain amount of shares in Rilliet so they could still protect that land. Rilliet Park Association stockholders voted to give a conservation easement of 273.5 acres to Clear Creek Land Conservancy on December 29, 1997. According to this casement, this land “possesses natural, wildlife, scenic, open space, and wildemess values of significant public benefit to the people of Jefferson County and State of Colorado.” The casement describes the land given from Rilliet to CCLC and how it is beneficial to humans as ‘well as wildlife—it was pertinent that it should be preserved since further development would * Robert J. Weimer. “Notes on the History of Northwoodside, Clear Creek Land Conservancy, and Rilliet Park Association.” May 3%, 2008, p. 1. The Ralston’s were a family that had been in the region for years and owned a lot of the property on and around Lookout Mountain. ‘© snorthwoodside Donates Conservation Easement to CCLC.” Clear Creek Land Conservancy Anmual Report, 2000, & Weimer, “Notes,” p. 2. Ibid, po. © Ibid, p. 2. Deed of Conservation Easement by Rilliet Park Association to Clear Creek Land Conservancy, December 29%, 1997.15 ‘only damage the ecosystem. The three groups all started to become more enveloped within each other as they worked together on land conservation, As time went on, the groups continued to work together with conservation easements to further protect land along Clear Creek Canyon and Lookout Mountain, There was still a lot of unprotected land that could still be developed. On December 15", 2000, Northwoodside donated 40 acres of northwest Lookout Mountain to CCLC through a conservation easement. This donation extended on the 1997 casement from Rillict and helped to create more space south of Beaver Brook Trail." Even though the easement was a small amount of land, it stopped the “sprawl on the urban fringe” since the easement covered pieces of land that were buffer zones along the rim of the canyon.*” The Beaver Brook Trail was able to have more protection with this conservation easement, it was not completely protected yet. Another portion was gained through ‘Norman Ralston, who was a descendant of one of the original settlers of the area.“ Ralston had been given offers by land developers for years, but finally decided to give more land to be protected instead of giving in to urban development.” He had an interest in preserving the land since he repeatedly refused offers from developers over the years. Northwoodside, Mount ‘Vernon Country Club Metropolitan District, Rilliet, and CCLC all went in on an agreement to buy from the Ralston estate to the amount of $1,683,000.” The land they were receiving from Ralston was worth so much that it was beneficial to both sides. Ralston also agreed to enter into a conservation easement with CCLC to the amount of 360 acres.” A lot of this land received from Ralston helped to permanently protect a lot of the Beaver Brook Trail. The conservation © Northwoodside.” © tid. © Ibid. Weimer, “Notes,” p. 1. elie p. 2. Ralston receiving offers can also be seen in Speech given by Carla Coleman at Mount Vernon Country, * ‘Agreement to Purchase Real Estate, July 2004, ™ Weimer, “Notes,” p. 216 groups were able to work together and receive a vital portion of land that needed to be protected Having the same vision of protecting land for the benefit of both humans and wildlife, Northwoodside and Clear Creek Land Conservaney had worked side by side for years, but that would soon change for the better. Northwoodside, Inc. decided to merge into CCLC since the ‘two groups were becoming one in the same. In 2008 Northwoodside owned 95 shares of Rilliet Park Association stock as well as property that had belonged to Carla Coleman. With a land easement made on May 3, 2008, Northwoodside transferred all of its real property and one share of its Rilliet stock to CCLC. The rest of the Northwoodside shares went back to Rilliet Park Association.” Northwoodside gave up all of its holdings to both of those organizations and ‘merged into CCLC. in the conservation easement agreement, CCLC received all those properties in exchange for making periodic contributions to land in Rilliet Park that Northwoodside would normally have done.’ Each land easement has its own agreements between the two groups since cach piece of land is different. With the years of working together behind them, Northwoodside and CCLC were able to go forward strengthened and working as one to continue to protect the region around Clear Creek Canyon, Over the years, CCLC has done major work in the area of land conservation. One such member of the group has worked extensively since the beginning to fulfill the group's vision, George “Rock” Pring was elected president at the first meeting of the CCLC and was in that position for twenty-three years.” During that time, he negotiated many conservation easements that helped CCLC to ultimately preserve 2,000 acres."* The conservation organization has been able to accomplish a lot during his tenure. According to the Clear Creek Land Conservancy ® Agrecment made between Northwoodside, Inc., Rilliet Park Association, and Ctear Creek Land Conservancy on ‘May 3°, 2008, p. 1 ? Weimer, *Notes,” p. 2. ” Clear Creek Land Conservancy Report, December 2009, p. 1. * Ibid. p. L.7 Report, “Carla Coleman’s original vision of protecting all of the land adjacent to the Beaver Brook Trail was fully achieved” also during Pring’s presidency.” Piece by piece, Colorado’s historic trail was finally fully protected through the efforts of not only CCLC, but Rilliet Park Association and Northwoodside, Inc. Pring is still involved in CCLC as it continues to work with landowners, businesses, and government groups to protect Clear Creek Canyon and the surrounding areas. Rillict Park Association and Clear Creck Land Conservancy are not the only two conservation organizations still working today to preserve land, There are many groups working in Colorado as well as throughout the United States to keep land protected from development. ‘Most of these groups belong to the Land Trust Alliance (LTA), which its mission is to save the places Americans love by strengthening land conservation across America for the enjoyment of future generations as well as for the continues existence of certain ecosystems.” This group ‘works with conservation organizations and the government as a sort of liaison to help preserve unprotected land, In Colorado, there are thirty Land Trusts that are members of LTA. Twenty- nine of them work locally while only one, the Colorado Field Office of The Nature Conservancy, works statewide.”* Colorado has an abundance of land, much of it still unprotected and available for development, which land trusts may be a possible solution to that. Across the nation it is the same—there is a lot of land that people can visit and appreciate with the help of land trusts and not developers who are only looking for ways to make money. There was a National Land Trust Census conducted in 2010 that discovered that the total acres conserved by local, state, and * Thid,,p. 1 “Leadership in Land Conservation.” Land Trust Alliance, 2013; available from: -; accessed 7 November 2013. Land Trust Alliance Member Land Trusts Operating in Colorado.” Land Trust Alliance, 2013; available from: -; accessed 7 November 2013.18 national land trusts had grown to forty-seven million.” Another finding of the census was that a land trast with a conservation plan guiding its easement acquisition conserves twice as many acres as a land trust without a plan." The Land Trust Alliance works with land conservation organizations to come up with strong plans on how to conserve land correctly. With this type of organization behind a particular land trust, itis hard for that land trust to be unsuccessful in preserving some of the nation’s most valued pieces of land. ‘The Land Trust Alliance has been working with land trusts in Colorado for many years. Clear Creek Land Conservaney has been a member of the Land Trust Alliance since 1988 and operates in the Clear Creek Watershed.*! The LTA website lists all its members as well as information and successes of those members. It lists that CCLC has conserved a total of 2,236 acres of land in Colorado, 1,976 acres of that being under easements.” This shows that a lot of land trust organizations save a good amount of land through conservation easements. They would not be as much of a suecess without the easements. Land easements are a way to preserve a piece of land against any type of development while the landowner can still continue to live on the property as long as he or she works within the limitations of the easement. Most conservation easements are permanent. They have to be in order for the landowner to receive any sort of tax benefits." Many people involved with these easements rest easy in their beds at night with the knowledge that the land that they protected ‘would be so in perpetuity. Some people do not see land easements in a positive light. They disagree with the idea of land easements since they believe that protecting something forever an a at ie Lan ra las 20; it is ; aoessed 7 November 2013. . C- ‘Creek Land Conservancy.” Land Trust Alliance, 2013; available from: , accessed 8 November 2013. © Ibid. © “Preserving,” p. 5.19 may not be such a good idea for future generations who may, somehow need that land. This is how conservation easements may not be so beneficial to future generations, However, usually people support the idea of preserving land forever for the benefit of future generations. ‘Once a conservation group receives a parcel of land, it often needs to find a way to maintain that piece of land. Maintenance would involve clearing fallen trees or snow, cleaning up rock-slides, and creating trails. Clear Creek Land Conservancy has found a few ways to do just that, In October 2009, Clear Creek County was able to purchase the 76-acre Oxbow Parcel, which adjoins Jeffco Open Space land to the east and existing Clear Creck Open Space to the south." As part of the deal, CCLC was able to take ownership on the property through an easement, forever protecting it.** CCLC will have the easement while Clear Creek County has the ownership, which means that the county will be the one to maintain the parcel of land. Clear Creek County incorporated the Oxbow Parcel into its Greenway Plan that will allow for a bike path to be built on it for visitor’s enjoyment. This is one way that a land trust can maintain a piece of its land under easement. Another way that a land trust can maintain its preserved land is, through volunteers. Every year, CCLC has Boy Scouts who do clean up and clearing of the Beaver Brook Trail.*” Volunteers are a great way for a non-profit organization to provide ‘maintenance on a piece of land that would normally cost money to hire someone else. Many other organizations have to do a lot of their own maintenance on their protected pieces of land. Land conservation has come a long way over the past century. Colorado became a target for many settlers because of its abundance of land and mining opportunities. Many of the mountain towns grew and collapsed as mining towns went boom or bust. Denver became a “oxbow Parcel Included in Clear Creek County’s Greenway Plan.” Clear Creek Land Conservancy, 2010; ayailable fom: , accessed 1 Novernber 2013 Ibid. © thid Interview with Rock Pring, one hour, 24 October 2013.20 center for industry during the Second World War and jobs were abundant. Colorado was a target for all of these kinds of people looking for a new way of life. People would tuke day trips or ‘summer vacations up to the foothills and mountains looking for relaxation and beauty. Soon other people realized the beauty of Colorado and how much it could be ruined by urban development and population growth, “There were clubs and organizations that popped up all around Denver and the state that were interested in enjoying and preservation nature. The Colorado Mountain Club was one of Colorado’s earliest clubs to do just that, As a hidden gem in the foothills above Golden, Lookout ‘Mountain was one of the clubs” frequent visitation sites. Some of the members” love of nature tured into a need to preserve the land on Lookout Mountain, Rilliet Park Association, Northwoodside, Ine., and Clear Creek Land Conservancy all sprung out of that original vision for the area. By buying up land parcels on Lookout Mountain, the members of those organizations were able to originally protect land. Each group had its own vision in protecting the land—some more self-interested than others. Most of the members of Rilliet Park “Association were interested in keeping their land private and protected from outsiders. They would restrict any visitors who looked to enjoy land recreationally on Lookout Mountain. This in tum helped to keep Rilliet for the most part in a natural state with little development. Northwoodside was more of a conservation organization than Rilliet. It started out under Carla Coleman with the sole purpose of preserving the Beaver Brook Trail. The Clear Creek Conservancy spawned off of Northwoodside and became a land trust that would eventually preserve all of Clear Creek Canyon. ‘Once the Colorado Conservation Easement Statute was passed in 1976, many landowners and Jand trusts realized the benefits to conservation easements. This led to easements becoming2 all the rage during the late twentieth century. Since then land trusts and conservation organizations have been very successful in putting land under preservation through land casements. They will continue to be so as land easements and conservation organizations work with others to preserve Jand that will benefit both humans and nature alike for centuries to come.