Orient Land Trust
Valley View Hot Springs
Email:
info@olt.org
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Orient Land Trust
Orient Land Trust Properties Valley View Hot Springs is located on a parcel of land that was originally homesteaded in 1873. It has been operated as a small rustic resort since the early 1900’s. Currently, many of the buildings still in use on the property date back to those early days. The creators of Orient Land Trust operated Valley View Hot Springs as a family-oriented, naturist (clothing-optional) resort from 1975 to 2003 when OLT took over management. Over the past thirty years, Valley View has acquired a large group of loyal and dedicated visitors. In addition to repeat guests, there are always many new folks visiting who are interested in the hot springs, bat colony, hydroelectric plant, spelunking, historical sites or other unique features of the area. Overall, visitors are a very diverse group made up of people from all age groups, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and they come from all over Colorado and beyond. They share a true appreciation of Valley View Hot Springs and the surrounding area for its simplicity, isolation and beauty. Orient Mine, located one mile north of Valley View, was an iron mine that began operation in the late 1800’s and was abandoned by 1938. Purchased by the founders of OLT in 1984, the mine includes ruins of the original prospect high in the mountains, foundations of buildings in the town built later at a lower elevation, the narrow gauge railroad track which served until 1932 and the mine workings themselves. For at least thirty years it has been the summer home for a colony (estimated between 100,000 to 250,000) of Mexican free-tail bats - Tadarida Brasiliensis. It is the northernmost and largest bachelor colony of this species known in North America. Everson Ranch, downstream of Valley View, is a 760 acre historic working cattle ranch. It became part of OLT in 2004. An ambitious project to restore wetlands and irrigated meadows on the ranch is currently underway. An original population of Rio Grande Chub has been found in the stream on the ranch. Facilities at Orient Land Trust OLT is located at the end of an 7 1/2 mile gravel road. It is nearly surrounded by public land. The closest town is twelve miles away (Villa Grove, population 50). Valley View Hot Springs is a clothing optional facility, and provides lodging and other facilities to OLT visitors who would otherwise have to travel a great distance for accommodations. Visitors are able to stay in rustic historic cabins, one of two small lodges, or the campground. Other facilities include ponds, hot tub, sauna, and swimming pool. In 2005, there were over 20,000 visitor-days. Valley View Hot Springs itself will continue to be a focal point for OLT. It provides the public with an opportunity to enjoy hot springs in a natural setting, as opposed to most other hot springs located on private property which are generally extensively developed. At Valley View, visitors are able to soak in natural gravel bottomed pools and to feel the surge of the carbonated hot spring water coming up all around them. As the hot springs are truly an oasis, it is not uncommon to have wildlife approach a pool for a drink while people are soaking. Visitors are able to become a part of the natural environment around them without a barrier of any kind. But the appreciation of the water does not end with the pools. While visiting OLT property, the public is educated about how the same water they have been soaking in is also used to generate hydroelectric power for all electrical needs and to provide a direct source of heat for the newer buildings on the property. One of the springs also provides a source of crystal pure drinking water. The existing facilities managed by OLT include:
These facilities are managed in a manner consistent with the mission and goals of Orient Land Trust; specifically, to preserve, protect, conserve, restore and enhance the natural systems and resource values of the property. Other Unique Features of Orient Land Trust · Geology - The Orient Mine is an area of scientific interest because of the unusual geology which caused the iron deposit to form. The hot springs area is interesting geologically because of the fault line which caused the hot springs to surface. Over the past three decades at least three people have pursued graduate degrees based on research of the mine or fault zone area. A trench has been dug across the fault line on the property to enable students, professionals and other lay persons to learn about the geology of the fault zone. · Bat Colony - The colony of bats which summers at the Orient Mine has been a very popular educational tool for two decades. This includes a master’s degree earned by a student who lived at the mine and studied the bats for two summers. Nearly every summer the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) has brought a group, largely made up of public school science teachers, to the mine to learn about the bats and see their out-flight. In the early 1990’s the Audubon Chapter from Salida, Colorado, brought a group of a hundred people to observe the bats. On a regular basis, many of Valley View’s visitors hike to the mine to witness the emergence on summer evenings. Since managing the property, OLT has improved safety and access to the mine where the bats emerge, including trail improvements, benches and signage. · Spelunking - The Orient Mine lies in a limestone layer that has been turned nearly vertical by the formation of the Rocky Mountains. Besides the man-made mine tunnels and shafts, natural caves have recently been discovered. Spelunking groups from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a local fire department and others have spent many hours surveying and mapping the passageways and caverns. Only a small part of the natural cave has been explored to date. · Hydroelectric and geothermal applications - Hundreds of people, both local and visitors from far away, have toured the hydroelectric plant which provides all electricity, up to 93 kilowatts, used at Orient Land Trust. The hydroelectric plant was originally constructed in 1975 and expanded in 1981 with the help of a $28,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Appropriate Technology program. It has been featured on a PBS television series on alternative energy. Visitors are also educated about the use of geothermal energy to heat all buildings constructed in the last twenty-five years. Overall, Valley View Hot Springs is a model for renewable energy use, as it is completely off the local power grid and uses no fossil fuels other than in the larger vehicles.
Support for Orient Land Trust Since its beginning in 2001, OLT has developed a broad base of support among people who care about this special place. The number of contributors at the end of 2001 was 90; current contributors now number over 2,500 households and that number is steadily climbing. In addition to strong support by individual contributors, OLT has also received financial support from both public agencies and private foundations. Since the end of 2003, 100% of contributions have been used for land preservation.
Local Geographical Information OLT is located in the San Luis Valley, a very sparsely populated, largely agricultural part of south central Colorado. In the northeastern portion of Saguache County, OLT sits on the west-facing foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at an elevation of 8,700 feet. The climate is desert-like, receiving an average of only 8 inches precipitation annually; however, the year-round water provided by Valley View Hot Springs creates something of an oasis. Communities and their distance from OLT include: Villa Grove – 12 miles Moffat – 22 miles Saguache – 23 miles www.saguache.org Crestone – 33 miles www.crestonecolorado.com/guide.htm www.crestone.org Salida – 38 miles www.salida.com Alamosa – 58 miles www.alamosa.org Other attractions in the area include the Great Sand Dunes National Park (formerly a National Monument). Only a small strip of Bureau of Land Management property separates OLT from the Rio Grande National Forest and the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area. Numerous recreation opportunities exist in and around the San Luis Valley including hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, bird-watching, rock climbing and more. |
