A local water district, a federal land agency, a state wildlife group and a national environmental nonprofit partnered on a creative water deal with multiple benefits for the valley
The Conservation Fund
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Plan to shutter buildings surrounding Colorado’s Sweetwater Lake has locals wondering if it was better off in private hands
SWEETWATER — “Don’t look up, OK?” Adrienne Brink is showing off the kitchen of the lodge at Sweetwater Lake Resort. For nearly 40 years she has used the lakeside log cabin with cinder block additions as a headquarters for AJ Brink outfitters, guiding thousands of hunters and horseback riders into the Flat Tops Wilderness. She’s […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Sweetwater Lake is now permanently protected, thanks to its new owner, the White River National Forest
Historic Sweetwater Lake, above the Colorado River in Garfield County, just got new owners — and they’re here to protect it. The White River National Forest completed its acquisition Tuesday of the lake and the 488 acres surrounding it adjacent to the Flat Tops Wilderness, marking a victory in conservationists’ efforts to protect the pristine […]
Posted inEnvironment, Growth, News, Outdoors
Conservationists cap 30-year preservation effort with protection of Banded Peak Ranch in southern Colorado
With the conservation of the Banded Peak Ranch in the southern San Juan Mountains, a 30-year, $37 million effort concludes with the protection of 10 different ranches in the Navajo River Watershed. And with the Great American Outdoors Act promising full funding of $900 million a year in the Land and Water Conservation Fund, these […]
Posted inColoradans, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Sweetwater Lake closer to conservation as Forest Service land
The Conservation Fund on Tuesday finalized its acquisition of Sweetwater Lake, getting a bargain price and marking a milestone in the effort to protect the 488-acre property long eyed for big development. It’s been almost a year since the fund began negotiating with investors who owned the lake surrounded by White River National Forest and […]
Posted inColoradans, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
U.S. Forest Service ranks protecting Colorado’s Sweetwater Lake high on its list of funding priorities
The U.S. Forest Service last week released its list of top priority land acquisitions for 2021 and the purchase of 488 acres around Garfield County’s Sweetwater Lake made the top 10. After a year-long campaign to acquire and protect the lake and surrounding acreage in the shadow of the Flat Tops Wilderness, the Forest Service […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Plan to buy remote Sweetwater Lake and transfer it to Forest Service gets boost from Eagle County communities
Conservationists pushing to buy and protect Sweetwater Lake are nearing $1 million in donations, as the White River National Forest vies for as much as $8.5 million in support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Eagle Valley Land Trust is working to raise $3.5 million for the $9 million purchase of the 488-acre, […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Growth, News, Outdoors
Conservationists hope to tap Land and Water Conservation Fund to preserve land and water on Sweetwater
Adrienne Brink came out to Sweetwater Lake above the Colorado River near Dotsero in 1969 for a backcountry horseback trip. She and her husband bought the horse packing outfitter in 1975. They bought the Sweetwater Lake Resort — cabins, restaurants, boat launch and a campground — in 1984 Since she landed on the lake in […]