Montezuma Land Conservancy

Background Statement

Montezuma Land Conservancy (MLC) is a not-for-profit land trust located in Cortez, Colorado established in 1998 to conserve special lands in our community. MLC works cooperatively with willing landowners in and around Montezuma and Dolores counties who choose to restrict development on their property. These landowners make a significant contribution to the community by protecting productive soil and water, important wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty.

MLC believes that our landscape helps define our community and quality of life by providing resources to farm, ranch, hunt, fish, recreate and simply enjoy the scenery. Rural landscapes like ours are rapidly diminishing throughout Colorado as more folks discover how wonderful this state is. With 1 million new people expected to inhabit Colorado's west slope by 2030, local landowners have an opportunity now to guide development by protecting key lands.

Montezuma Land Conservancy is the only organization focused solely on private land conservation in Montezuma and Dolores counties. Since our founding in 1998, we have completed 90 transactions that permanently protect more than 47,152 acres of irrigated farm and ranch land, dry land farms, river valleys, wetlands, wildlife habitat, desert canyons, and sagebrush in the extreme southwestern corner of Colorado.

In addition, at Fozzie's Farm, our 83-acre educational hub, we provide programming and paid internships for youth and young adults that cultivate and inspire the next generation of conservationists. Our partnerships with youth organizations and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe help us advance cross-cultural and next-generation conservation initiatives.