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P.O. Box 65 Villa Grove, Colorado 81155-0065
719-256-4315
Office / Phone Hours: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM Mountain Time every day
Day visitors (not staying overnight) must arrive by 8:30 pm
Open to the Public 7 days a week except
closed December 1st - December 28th
Web address: www.olt.org
Welcome to Orient Land Trust
Orient Land Trust is a nonprofit land trust
dedicated to the preservation of natural and biological resources, agricultural lands, wildlife habitat, open
space, and historic and geologic features of the northern San Luis Valley for
the enjoyment of current and future generations. 100% of unrestricted donations
go towards open space and land conservation.
 Learn more about
Land Conservation...
See
here for a
good overview of land trusts, conservation easements, tax credits, and how
Orient Land Trust
works with land owners to preserve land here in the San Luis
Valley.
The serenity of winter at the Everson
Ranch...
See what Orient Land Trust is all about
- protecting the land, water, and clean air of the San Luis Valley.
View two
pages of images of our peaceful rural beauty
here
and here. (large
files - long download)
LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LEFT to buy tickets for the Bigger and Better than ever 2009 OLT Raffle!
Tickets are on sale at Valley View through Thanksgiving Day for this year's raffle, which includes a top prize of $5000!
Features
of the lands protected by Orient Land Trust include a large
bat colony, hot springs, alternative energy
use, high altitude dark skies for astronomy, an exposed active geological fault,
limestone caves, numerous trails into a wilderness area, historic buildings,
town sites at an abandoned iron mine and a working ranch. Visitors
to Orient Land Trust experience these features in a naturist (clothing-optional) setting and may
camp or stay in rustic lodging. The number of visitors is limited based on
space available and environmental impact.
~ Mid November ~
The freshly painted Cedar (green) and Aspen (yellow) cabins under a brilliant autumn sky.
See What's New and Mission for other current views of Orient Land Trust.
See the new Orient Land Trust page on Facebook and add yourself as a "fan" to join our brand-new online community.
This is a great way to connect with other fans of OLT / Valley View and start discussion groups, share experiences, post photos, and stay in touch with the place you love.
Autumn is Calendar Buying Time!
~ Take home all the seasons of OLT / Valley View ~
The 2010 Orient Land Trust Calendar is available for $16 at the Welcome Center or for $18.50 by mail.
If you can't make it to Valley View, call 719-256-4315 or
e-mail us to order yours today!
Revision to previously announced 2010 Vehicle Camping Rates.
The additional charge for a Vehicle campsite (starting in 2010) has been lowered to $5 extra per night, year-round - this is a reduction from the summer rate of $10 per night that was published at the time of the September e-Newsletter. See 2010 Rate
Information page
for complete rates for all Hot Springs Use, Camping, and Lodging effective January 1, 2010.
Important - Moratorium on Outside Vending at Orient Land Trust effective November 1, 2009.
Important news for massage therapists, jewelry sellers, and other vendors who have sold goods or services at OLT / Valley View.
In order to address the questions and problems arising from the lack of a comprehensive policy regarding independent vendors working on OLT grounds, the Board of Directors approved a moratorium on all outside vendors at the October 17th Board meeting. A comprehensive policy will be developed by May of 2010, but in the meantime outside vending at Orient Land Trust (including massage and other energy or bodywork) will not be permitted from November 1, 2009 through April 30, 2010. We will be soliciting feedback in early 2010 to gather input and ideas to help us better formulate our new vendor management plan. See Vendor Moratorium page for the complete text of the moratorium.
Important information on Caver access to the Orient Mine.
Due to the White Nose Syndrome affecting bat colonies in the eastern US, the Orient Mine will be closed to caver access until further notice.
See Orient Mine Closure
Information page
for details. Note - this does not affect summer hikes to the cave to see the bat outflight.
New Policy on Dogs at Orient Land Trust effective July 1, 2009.
Important news for Dog Owners - In response to a growing number of dog-related issues and problems in the last few years, Orient Land Trust is reluctantly revising our policy on dogs. See New Dog Policy page
for details.
* A Permanent Change In Our Campfire Policy *
Orient Land Trust is strengthening our commitment to the environment and protecting our fragile land by permitting campfires only at the Picnic Pavilion and Soaking Pond firepits, regardless of conditions. And now, there is a NEW group campfire at a great location next to a stream in the "Park", the main wooded area of the Tent Campground. Of course, any higher-level state or county-wide fire bans would still take precedence. See our Campfire Policy page for additional information and details.
We have an opening on our Board of Directors.
See
here for
information on becoming a board member and helping to guide the future direction
of OLT.
If you aren't already on our mailing list
and would like to stay up-to-date with
news and events at Orient Land Trust, sign up here for our e-Newsletters:
Valley View Hot Springs is entirely off the
grid!
See what we ALL can do to
reduce our
energy footprint and lessen our contribution to
global warming.
See here for information about the Orient Land Trust
Privacy and Contact Policy.
The bylaws of Orient Land Trust
state that "No discrimination shall exist toward any person, employee, member or
guest in any program, activity or facility of the corporation
on the basis of
race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age or national or ethnic origin".
Donations to Orient Land Trust are tax-deductible
under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code. See
Ways to Give.
For general information or suggestions about OLT / Valley View, please e-mail
Orient Land Trust
Questions or comments about our website? Please e-mail
John Lorenz
All photographs © John Lorenz -
www.johnlorenzphoto.com
Last updated
Tuesday November 17, 2009
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Orient Land Trust