2025 A Year of Impact: A Conservation Community in Action

In 2025, community-driven conservation with Palmer Land Conservancy resulted in tangible results and wins across Colorado. Every acre protected, every partnership formed, and every volunteer hour represents people choosing to invest in Colorado's future. Together, we've written an inspiring story of what's possible when a community unites around protecting the land and water we all cherish.

More Than 11,000 Acres Forever Protected

In 2025, Palmer permanently protected more than 11,000 acres across three key properties—a testament to what we can accomplish together.

Silver Mountain Preserve

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, we protected this southeastern Colorado working cattle and bison ranch. More than 100 elk graze here, and 12 miles of North Abeyta Creek sustain diverse wildlife. This land faced development in 2021—now it's protected forever, ensuring this quintessential Colorado landscape remains intact for generations.

Bullsprings Ranch

Critical winter habitat for bighorn sheep along the historic Gold Belt Scenic Byway now stands permanently protected. Part of an 11,500+ acre conservation constellation, Bullsprings Ranch safeguards wildlife corridors for elk, black bears, mountain lions, mule deer, and peregrine falcons—demonstrating strategic conservation creates connected landscapes where wildlife can thrive.

Catamount Center's Mountain Campus

For nearly 30 years, the Campus has been a place where students from elementary school through college have explored and learned, this living classroom is now permanently protected, ensuring students and researchers will continue to connect with this beloved property. The Center lies within 200,000+ acres of adjacent public and conserved lands. This protection honors the countless students whose lives have been shaped by hands-on environmental education in this remarkable place.

We Bought a Farm! A Milestone for the Bessemer Farmland Conservation Project

After nearly nine years of research, analysis, and community partnership, Palmer acquired a magnificent 623-acre farm—one of Pueblo County's most fertile—and the largest contiguous farm on the Bessemer Irrigation Ditch. This purchase marks a critical milestone in protecting 2,000 acres of prime farmland at risk of being permanently dried up.

This farm sits within the 2% of Pueblo County that produces nearly all of Pueblo County’s commercial produce, from the beloved Pueblo chile to corn, onions, melons, and pumpkins. Now, we're implementing an innovative legal tool to reunite the first 200 acres with permanent water rights. This first-of-its-kind approach could serve as a blueprint for other Western communities facing similar water and agricultural challenges.

This project is bigger than protecting one farm. It's about fortifying the $30 million annual agricultural industry on the St. Charles Mesa, and the lessons learned from the project can also assist future water projects in sustaining the $47 billion annual agricultural industry in Colorado, all while ensuring food security and honoring the identity of rural communities. When we protect farmland, we're protecting jobs, livelihoods, and the very fabric of Colorado's agricultural heritage.

Palmer’s President & CEO, Rebecca Jewett, and our dedicated team provided a deeper look at the Farm

Cultivating Tomorrow's Conservation Leaders: Partnerships That Multiply Impact

Generation Wild Coalition

Palmer is a proud member of a new coalition awarded $1.75M from GOCO, partnering with Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County, and eight other organizations. This transformative initiative breaks barriers to access nature in Pueblo, creating pathways for youth to become conservation champions. Across Colorado, 15 Generation Wild coalitions have delivered 9,550 programs, reaching 360,222 participants—and Pueblo's youth now join this growing movement.

Colorado College Partnerships

This year, Palmer became a High Impact Partner with Colorado College, deepening our involvement with staff and students. Out on the land, students removed 300+ invasive plants at Rawles Open Space. They conducted fire mitigation work at Mesa Valley Wildlife Preserve and a privately conserved property near the south end of the Air Force Academy. Through dedicated research, CC students assisted in creating a comprehensive 68-page carbon sequestration study exploring how conserved lands can participate in carbon markets while maintaining conservation values—research that will inform conservation strategies for years to come.

These partnerships demonstrate that conservation thrives when we invest in the next generation, equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and passion to protect Colorado's natural treasures.

SOAR Initiative: Where Conservation Meets National Security

The Security, Open Space, and Agricultural Resiliency (SOAR) Initiative completed its second phase in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Land, protecting an additional 7,160 acres of Bohart Ranch. This multi-year initiative demonstrates how conservation, military readiness, and community needs can align—safeguarding critical Air Force training areas while preserving working ranchland, wildlife habitat, and open space for future generations.

Community in Action: Events That Brought Us Together

Palmer hosted or participated in 48 events in 2025, connecting people with the land they love and building a community united by conservation.

Bike the Bessemer

Nearly 150 cyclists braved windy conditions for our 5th annual farm tour, cycling 15 miles through Pueblo County's premier farmlands. The day included exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, a farm-to-table lunch featuring 130+ pounds of local produce, and our inaugural maker's market—creating powerful connections between people and the land that feeds us.

TENACITY: Women in Conservation

More than 160 passionate advocates gathered to explore how conservation serves as the thread connecting communities across Colorado. Six prominent women leaders—Anna Cordova, Susan D. Daggett, Patience Kabwasa, Yenny Espinosa Niño, Lori Weigel, and our own Rebecca Jewett—shared diverse perspectives on broadening the conservation movement, reminding us that when we bring more voices to the table, conservation becomes stronger and more inclusive.

Volunteer Partnerships

SCHEELS employees pulled noxious weeds and picked up trash during two volunteer days at one of our first-ever volunteer events on privately conserved land. Credit Union of Colorado volunteers removed a dozen bags of invasive weeds and trash from Mesa Valley Wildlife Preserve. They also donated a complete set of tools to support future group projects—ensuring we have the resources to continue this vital work.

During Fountain Creek Watershed District's annual Creek Week Palmer volunteers removed hundreds of pounds of trash and debris from critical wetlands. At Runyon Lake in Pueblo, volunteers collected fishing line and trash from shorelines that provide habitat for nearly 250 bird species.

These gatherings strengthened bonds within our community and served as powerful reminders of what we can accomplish when we stand united around protecting the Colorado we love.

Innovation in Action: Stewardship That Goes Beyond Monitoring

Palmer monitors nearly 150,000 acres across 10 counties, but stewardship means more than observation—it consists of innovation, partnership, and continuous improvement.

Working Birds Initiative 

In partnership with the Audubon Society, we installed nest boxes and raptor perching poles across 30+ properties, harnessing ecosystem services to provide natural pest control. Studies show a single barn owl family can consume up to 3,000 rodents per year—imagine the impact across dozens of properties. This project benefits both birds and landowner operations while providing valuable data for public education.

Innovative Grazing Study

Working with the Hamilton family at Rocking Jar Ranch, a Palmer-protected property, we implemented an Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing system with funding from a American Farmland Trust grant, testing ancient grazing wisdom with modern science. By collecting baseline soil samples and planning follow-up testing, we're creating a working case study to improve soil health, drought resilience, and wildlife habitat—innovations neighboring landowners can learn from and Palmer’s stewardship team will be able to share the finds with many of our conservation partners.

Looking Ahead: Your Role in 2026

As we reflect on 2025's remarkable achievements, we're filled with gratitude and hope. None of this happens without you—our donors, volunteers, partners, landowners, and community members. Your support made 2025 a landmark year for conservation in Colorado.

The challenges ahead are real. Colorado's population continues to grow, water scarcity intensifies, and development pressures mount. But 2025 proved that when communities unite around shared values—protecting scenic views, ensuring access to local food, safeguarding wildlife habitat, and preserving open spaces—we can accomplish extraordinary things.

As we look to 2026, we'll continue the Bessemer project, expand volunteer opportunities, advance the SOAR Initiative, and deepen partnerships across the region. We'll keep innovating, adapting, and finding creative solutions to complex conservation challenges.

Conservation is the thread connecting us all. The Colorado you love today is here because people like you chose to protect it. Together, we'll ensure it's here forever—for the elk that graze at Silver Mountain, for the students who learn at Catamount, for the farmers who feed us, for the families who gather on trails, and for the generations yet to come.

Here's to 2026—a year of continued hope, action, and conservation wins.

Protect what unites us in 2026—donate today.