The
inspiration for the Crested Butte Land Trust came from local builder and avid environmentalist, Norman Bardeen, who served on its first board of directors.
The Crested Butte Land Trust is a much-needed asset for the community; our
clean waters, scenic vistas, and plant and wildlife habitats are valuable to
our way of life.
The
Crested Butte Land Trust is a non-political, non-profit organization that has
works on a voluntary basis with private landowners in Gunnison County.Formed in 1991, its purpose, in the words of
former board member Jackie Ingham, is "preserving the present for the
future."To date, the CB Land Trust
has facilitated the preservation of over 5,000 acres of land.
The
history of land trusts dates back more than 100 years; today there are more
than 1,700 land trusts throughout the country.There are numerous advantages of working with the CB Land Trust.Our non-profit status brings a variety of tax
benefits.Donations of land,
conservation easements, or money may qualify you for income, estate, or gift
tax savings.Furthermore, because we are
a private organization, we can be more flexible and creative than public
agencies – and can act more quickly – in saving land.
The photograph above of the Slate River Wetlands was taken by Kristen Cook.
News at the Crested Butte Land Trust
CRESTED BUTTE LAND TRUST
PRESENTS
NATHAN BILOW WITH THE INNAGURAL
NORMAN AWARD
This past January, Nathan Bilow
was presented the Norman Award as the Crested Butte Land Trust Volunteer of the
Year.
The Norman Award is named for
Norman Bardeen, who founded CBLT in 1991 and served on the organization’s
original Board of Directors.Bardeen
continues his volunteer service today as a member of CBLT’s Independent Board
Member Review Committee.The Norman
Award will be given annually to a volunteer for their commitment to the
stewardship of CBLT lands.Bilow was the
first Norman Award recipient.
As a professional photographer, Bilow has contributed many stunning photos of seasonal
Crested Butte landscapes to the annual CBLT calendar and newsletters.For the past several years, he has also donated
a photographic day trip to CBLT’s annual Adventure Auction, lending his
expertise to aspiring photographers out in the field.
Bilow has lived in the Crested Butte area since the late 1970’s.His work has appeared in numerous national
and international publications, and with Sandy Fails he created the coffee
table book,
Crested Butte: The Edge of Paradise. He has traveled extensively around the
world, but Bilow maintains Crested Butte is the best home for his family.
Bilow was presented the Norman Award at the It’s About the Land Volunteer
Party, where all volunteers were recognized and thanked for their valuable
contributions.The celebration was held
January 22, at the yurt, which is maintained by the Crested Butte Nordic
Council in the winter and is accessed using skis or snowshoes.CBLT holds all our volunteers in high esteem,
and we offer ongoing ways to make a difference.If you would like information on volunteering for the Crested Butte Land
Trust, please contact Liz at 970-349-1206 or
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PIctured above, from left: Keith Bauer, CBLT Board President, Norm Bardeen, CBLT founding board memeber, and Nathan Bilow, Norman Award recipient.