The Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT), the local land trust in the San Luis Valley, is the recipient of the state’s largest award in the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO) Legacy Grant round, with $7.385 million going towards the Rio Grande Initiative. Governor Ritter announced the awards Mon., Dec. 3 at the Capitol in Denver. GOCO Legacy grants are awarded every few years in order to achieve landscape scale protection efforts in critical areas of Colorado. This award will fund protection of 5,630 acres of private land through voluntary conservation easements along the Rio Grande river corridor in Mineral, Rio Grande, Alamosa and Conejos Counties in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Once protected, these historic ranches will permanently remain in open space, provide important wildlife habitat and be available for agricultural uses.

For a copy of the original article contact the WIP at (970) 247-1302 or stop by the office at 841 East Second Avenue in Durango.