Steamboat Pilot & Today

Yampa Valley Land Trust received a $5,000 award last week for being named a finalist for the El Pomar Foundation's Robert V. Menary Award for Environmental Issues.

The award, presented Nov. 17 during El Pomar's annual Awards for Excellence banquet at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, was one of three handed down to Colorado nonprofits that focuses on environmental issues.

Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, a Denver-based organization, also was named a finalist. Mesa Land Trust, a Palisade-based organization, was named the winner of the award.

"The finalists for the Robert V. Menary Award for Environmental Issues have all achieved excellence in their efforts to support the preservation of natural surroundings and to promote environmental awareness and conservation," said Kae Rader of El Pomar. "Yampa Valley Land Trust has certainly done that."

Susan Dorsey Otis, executive director of Yampa Valley Land Trust, said receiving the award was particularly special because nominations were made by a distinguished panel of state residents, not the organizations themselves. Yampa Valley Land Trust also was an award finalist in 2001.

"It was really a wonderful recognition, especially considering the number of nonprofits in Colorado and the number of nonprofits in the environmental field," Dorsey Otis said. Dorsey Otis, Yampa Valley Land Trust board president Linda Hamlin and conservation attorney Allan Beezley attended the ceremony on behalf of the Steamboat Springs-based organization.

Yampa Valley Land Trust, founded in 1992, works with local landowners to acquire and "extinguish" development rights on area lands, particularly properties within the Yampa River basin in Routt County. The organization has worked to secure 50 conservation easements covering almost 25,000 acres of land in Northwest Colorado during the past decade.

The goal of Yampa Valley Land Trust is to protect open lands, scenic vistas, working agricultural landscapes and important wildlife habitats through cooperative efforts with landowners.

The $5,000 award will be used as part of the group's general operating budget, allowing it to continue to conserve area lands, Dorsey Otis said.

El Pomar was established in 1937 by Spencer and Julie Penrose. The foundation supports Colorado nonprofits that specialize in a variety of fields, including the environment, arts and humanities, education and health and human services. El Pomar has contributed more than $300 million to state nonprofits since its creation.

-- To reach Brent Boyer call 871-4234

or e-mail bboyer@steamboatpilot.com