The start of October is when the heartbeat of the communities that make up the Eagle River Valley can be heard the loudest. October is the autumn off-season, sandwiched between the resorts’ busy winter and summer seasons, and it is a time of both reflection and anticipation. This is the case for locals at the personal level, for organizations and businesses as they prepare their budgets, and for community leaders. At Wednesday’s Vail Valley Partnership Mixer at the Conservation Center in Edwards, the Land & Rivers Fund was featured and representatives from the collaborative shared about the lessons and achievements of the past and how the Fund is a mechanism to protect the future of local lands and rivers.
Zehren and Associates hosted the Mixer, which is a monthly Vail Valley Partnership program offered to members and open to the public in return for a suggested donation to the featured group. With food and beverages from local businesses, in this case Ein Prosit and Vail Brewing Company, as well as decorations, prizes, and more, the gathering brings together members of the business community and beyond for conversation and a brief presentation.
On Wednesday, Maren Cerimele introduced the Vail Valley Partnership and shared about upcoming opportunities and events. Zehren and Associates representatives then highlighted the role they played as architects and designers of the Conservation Center, which was recently renovated from the Wildflower Farm to serve now as the Eagle Valley Land Trust’s office and a space for collaboration in the conservation space.
Next up was Melanie Smith with the Eagle River Coalition, which, together with the Eagle Valley Land Trust forms the Land & Rivers Fund. Melanie described how the Fund invites businesses to participate in the program by inviting their clients and customers to make a small voluntary donation generally in the form of a surcharge added to their bills. She noted that those small collections really add up – amounting to more than $700,000 since the program’s launch in 2018, in fact. She listed some of the participating businesses and reminded attendees that when they patronize those businesses, they are in fact supporting the missions of the Eagle River Coalition and the Eagle Valley Land Trust by making donations in the name of conservation.
Jessica Foulis, of the Eagle Valley Land Trust then spoke, highlighting the importance of this ongoing support for important initiatives like securing easements such as one that will protect bighorn sheep habitat in East Vail, and protecting the Eagle River Preserve in Edwards, which lies adjacent to the Conservation Center. She listed the remaining participating businesses and celebrated their efforts to make it easy for their customers to support the missions of both nonprofit entities that make up the Land & Rivers Fund.
The event brought together 75+ from local businesses and organizations, and more than $500 was raised for the Land & Rivers Fund, with donors receiving a pumpkin from Zehren staff to encourage their generosity.
To support the Land & Rivers Fund yourself, you can visit participating businesses (see the full list on the Land & Rivers Fund website) or make a gift directly here.
