Speed and Scale: How a $1 Million Investment Accelerates Palmer's Conservation Vision

A $1 million investment from Lyda Hill Philanthropies marks a pivotal moment for Palmer, accelerating our proven water solutions across Colorado and ensuring we can act swiftly when critical lands need protection.

In 1980, a generous donation from Al Hill helped plant the seeds for what Palmer Land Conservancy is today. Al Hill donated the Blair Bridge property—a gift that became one of Palmer's earliest conservation successes and a catalyst for decades of land protection across Colorado. For more than 40 years, the Hill family has played a crucial role in advancing conservation across southern Colorado through their support of Palmer Land Conservancy, and now their impact grows across the state. 

The most recent grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, founded by Al Hill's daughter, Lyda Hill, is a gift that honors her father's early vision by empowering Palmer to meet the challenges of a new era with unprecedented speed and scale. Ms. Hill has proudly supported Palmer’s mission to protect land and water for the well-being of nature and people for many years, and this transformational grant supports urgent conservation initiatives.

A Catalyst for Conservation

For nearly five decades, Palmer has worked with landowners and communities to protect 150,000+ acres of our region’s most important natural assets. Along the way, Palmer developed a set of innovative and necessary tools to protect Colorado's water, agricultural heritage, and wild spaces. This $1 million investment provides the momentum that enables those tools to work faster and on a far larger scale.

Lyda Hill Philanthropies is committed to funding transformational advances in science and nature. Because Ms. Hill has a fervent belief that "science is the answer" to many of life's most challenging issues, she has chosen to donate the entirety of her estate to philanthropy and scientific research. By investing in Palmer, Lyda Hill Philanthropies is backing a proven, science-backed conservation approach ready to scale across Colorado.

In 2019, Lyda Hill and Nancy Lewis were awarded the Stuart P. Dodge Lifetime Achievement Award by Palmer Land Conservancy for their leadership in protecting the Garden of the Gods.

Moving at the Speed of Urgency

The first pillar of this investment establishes a foundation for a Revolving Loan Fund at Palmer. In the world of conservation, timing is everything. When an exemplary property—a highly productive multi-generational family farm, a vital wildlife corridor, or a beloved viewshed enjoyed by a community—suddenly becomes available, the window to protect it is often measured in weeks, not years.

The fund will provide capital to immediately secure at-risk lands for permanent conservation and then sell them to conservation-minded landowners with conservation restrictions in place. With this internal fund, we can bring initial investment to the table to attract additional funding sources to achieve the needed conservation outcome, and then return that capital to the fund—ready to be deployed for the next urgent opportunity. This is the first step to ensure that we never lose a landscape simply because we couldn't move fast enough.

This initial funding will enable Palmer to respond more swiftly. However, to achieve the necessary speed amidst current growth pressures and conservation priorities, the fund must grow. Therefore, Lyda Hill’s contribution is meant as seed funding to inspire others to join with a financial donation to the Revolving Loan Fund.

Scaling Our Water Work

The second pillar of this gift accelerates Palmer's pioneering water work beyond the Arkansas River Basin. For a decade, Palmer has laid the groundwork in developing innovative approaches to water optimization—from championing new provisions in water law to creative governance tools that achieve long-term conservation. As drought intensifies in Colorado and municipalities seek more water resources to support growing development, water scarcity becomes increasingly urgent.

This investment allows us to expand our water expertise to projects across Colorado, with a focus on the northern Front Range, building on years of incubation to create an initiative with the scope and staffing necessary to achieve impact where it is most urgently needed. While the full details of this initiative will be unveiled in the coming months, the goal is clear: to ensure Colorado's water sustains our communities, local food systems, and natural habitats for generations to come.

The Path Ahead

At Palmer, we believe that conservation is a promise written into the land—a commitment that transcends any single generation. Our work to keep that promise continues every day. With this latest contribution from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, we can accelerate our impact—protecting more land and water, faster, and at a scale that matches the beauty and urgency of the Colorado landscapes we all cherish.

This is just the beginning. While this initial funding will make significant strides, further investment will be crucial to fully realize the vision for the revolving loan fund and water program. We invite others to join us in this endeavor, as each additional contribution will help us secure more at-risk lands and expand our efforts in conservation. Together, we can create a lasting impact on the Colorado we all love and protect more than Al Hill could have ever imagined back in 1980.We invite you to join us as we accelerate our pace and broaden our reach.