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 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

PIctured above, from left:  Keith Bauer, CBLT Board President, Norm Bardeen, CBLT founding board memeber, and Nathan Bilow, Norman Award recipient.