This winter, the Sangre de Cristo range is providing less water bubbling up from the springs. Reduced water, resulting from drought, means less electricity produced by our hydroelectric plant. The amount of power we can produce is based on the volume of water as well as the vertical drop. While our vertical drop is constant, the volume of water varies. The heated pools are built to help us regulate the electricity we produce. Electricity provides us with a hot sauna, laundry, stoves and ovens, hot showers, hair dryers, toasters, coffee pots, and electric heat. We are replacing OLT electrical heat with geothermal heat, which frees up kilowatts for other purposes.

The amount of power we can produce is finite and this year is less than last year and less than the past several years. What does this mean? The reality is that the heated pools will not be getting as much electrically heated water. Individual attempts to conserve energy by minimizing other electrical devices will help make sure that there is electricity enough for all, even if the pools won't be as warm.

Be prepared. Wear warm clothing between pools and accommodations. Visit the sauna to get thoroughly warm. While we are making effort to maximize the power available for the heated pools, expect them to be a little cooler this winter. Be conservation minded.

We had plenty of Marigolds in the garden this year. In addition to the cheery flowers they brought to the garden and in vases for the welcome center, they helped protect the vegetables from certain pest and attracted valuable insects as well.  Mexican Marigolds are said to offend a host of destructive insects and wild rabbits as well. The abundance of Calendula in the garden also discouraged in soil borne pests and provided a reservoir for beneficial insects.

7 Benefits of Marigolds

• Lowers Inflammation and Free Radical Damage. ...

• Reduces Eye Inflammation and Conjunctivitis. ...

• Has Natural Antiseptic Properties. ...

• Heals Skin Wounds, Burns and Rashes. ...

• Helps Reduce Hemorrhoid Pain. ...

• Eases Cramps and Spasms. ...

• Naturally Repels Bugs.

Benefits of Calendula

Calendula is used for treating sore throat and mouth, menstrual cramps, cancer, and stomach and duodenal ulcers. Calendula has also been used for measles, smallpox, and jaundice. Calendula is applied to the skin to reduce pain and swelling (inflammation) and to treat poorly healing wounds and leg ulcers.  

Ranch manager Mike grew an interesting pumpkin this year! Nantucket Pie Pumpkin is from an Heirloom non-GMO seed.  A very unusual pumpkin with very long, slender fruits. Best known for its flesh, which is almost stringless and is said to make the most delicious pumpkin pies. Uncommon variety, rarely available in markets. Fruits can grow to 5-8 pounds. Harvested green with an orange spot on the bottom.  Let pumpkin ripen in storage, turning orange for the sweetest flesh inside.

Garden Manager Brian Ross had great success with an heirloom sweet corn!  Any gardener in the valley knows just how hard it is to grow sweet corn in the valley.  We had a wonderful crop of the most beautiful sweet corn.

Guests were able to harvest their own produce or purchase from the welcome center.  We also did a few farmers markets and supplied two local health food stores with pumpkins!  Our new garden manager Sabine has been working hard to put the garden to bed for the winter.  She has also planted flower bulbs for next season. As we begin to enjoy this season of peace and tranquility, we look ahead to the next season and the beauty and bounty it will bring.

The deer population at the hot springs is not "ours." They are wild deer even though they act tame. A few of the deer in our area have realized that the hot springs is a safe haven from hunters. From a wildlife management perspective, the deer have overpopulated the Sangre de Cristo range and the hot springs shares in that problem. The best solution would be to thin the herd but managing a hunt here would be difficult and would generate harsh criticism from visitors.

Deer are browsers. Their natural diet is forbs and branches. They don't eat much grass but they do eat the new growth on trees (oaks, cottonwoods, aspen), and bushes (currants, willow, mountain mahogany, wild roses, and other leafy bushes). Unfortunately, people also feed the deer, which has made them less wary and "spoiled" their appetite for their normal food. There are a lot of trees and bushes here so their normal sources of food are sufficient even though their numbers are more than the normal carrying capacity of this environment.

Natural habitat for deer includes predators such as coyotes and mountain lions as well as thinning of the herd due to harsh winters and cold. Even though there are coyotes and mountain lions nearby, those predators are kept at bay by the consistent human traffic. In addition, we have had several mild winters. This has added to the deer overpopulation.

We ask our guests not to feed the deer. Hand feeding can lead to the deer aggressively begging. While we all enjoy seeing the new fawns every summer and take pleasure in watching the deer at close range, we do not manage the population. The deer are not fed and their only protection is that we do not allow hunting around the hot springs due to safety concerns.

We Give Thanks:

To the land trust founders and their vision to protect and preserve this amazing piece of earth.

To the board of directors who serve with collective experience, skills, knowledge and wise counsel that moves our organization plan forward.

To the dedicated staff motivated by their passion to support OLT's mission and who have helped co-create the ranch component of our educational program.

To the volunteers who have come to help with the work of improving our land resource and are joining in building community that celebrates healthy, local food.

To the guests who visit and tour the ranch, meet the animals and learn about our growing development and how to get involved.

To the land, water and livestock, which nurtures the soil that will help us move toward a secure agricultural future.

For the bounty on our table, the goodness of love, laughter, sun, and rain.

For you!
Happy Thanksgiving

Colorado Gives Day is an annual fundraising opportunity that adds to your donation to your favorite non-profit. There is a partial match when donations are made through Colorado Gives to listed participating organizations. To see our profile, search the Colorado Gives site and look for Orient Land Trust

Valley View Hot Springs will be closed from December 1 through the 28, reopening on December 29. A tradition here at the hot springs, it's a time for staff to work on maintenance projects that are difficult to do while guests use the facility. It's also a time for rejuvenation, peace and quiet for the springs, the wildlife and the land. This is the one time it is OK to tell your friends about Valley View; remind them that there is no admission to the hot springs for these four weeks. The OLT office will be open from 10 am to noon to check messages and make reservations, Monday through Friday through December 21. The office is closed from December 22 through the 26th for the Christmas holiday. You may also send an email to and leave a number and time to call you back. Regular membership benefits apply. We wish everyone a very happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you next year!

To all of the wonderful volunteers who donated time to Orient Land Trust this season: Our Volunteer Appreciation Weekend is scheduled for December 7 & 8. If you are a volunteer in good standing and have participated in our program for 2018 you are invited! Invitations will be mailed next week so please keep a lookout! If you have moved, changed your address or do not receive your invitation, please give Rosie a call after November 12th. Thanks to everyone who helps make our volunteer program a success, we couldn't do it without you!

"Speak only if it improves upon the silence."

- Mahatma Gandhi

Orient Land Trust (OLT) is a magical place for first time visitors and "old timers" alike. For those who have never been here (especially city dwellers), the dark skies and quiet nights can be both enchanting and also a bit disorienting, as it's quite different from typical ambient light and noise levels.

OLT is committed to keeping it's corner of the valley dark, thus sheltering visitors from the harsh city lights that obscure the stunning beauty of the night sky. This has been and continues to be one of the rare gifts to all of us who come here. We in turn can pay it forward by protecting the gift of quiet. In doing so, we all make a contribution to what makes this place such a peaceful getaway.

A broader way we can contribute to the unique beauty of the San Luis Valley is through membership donations, which enable OLT to acquire and protect more land throughout the surrounding area. Our membership donations have supported OLT in conserving over 2,200 acres of natural habitat that will remain wild forever!

At Valley View Hot Springs, we step away from our bright lights and digital distractions, allowing space for something better to emerge. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods."

So as you step into the deliciously warm and welcoming waters, and savor the vast starlit expanse, let the loudest sound be the distant chorus of coyotes, the fluttering of velvety black bat wings, the trickle of the laughing waters, and the soft whisper of gentle voices. Dark skies, quiet nights!

~ Suzanne Mariner, External Affairs Committee Member

People sometimes ask, "What's the biggest problem?" While there are not an overwhelming number of disruptions, we do get complaints. Some are about dogs, some are about other people's behaviors that make people uncomfortable, some are about overindulgence or substance abuse. If you follow the thread far enough, the general attitude that generates a specific complaint is usually traced to behavior that is inconsiderate and self-absorbed. Problem people want to do what they want to do and are only marginally aware of how what they do might have an impact on another. While we all cherish the feeling of an unchained experience in nature, this is a shared space. How we share that space determines if it is uplifting, rich, rewarding, and positive - or not. Over the years, we have tried to define what it is that makes for the magic that pleasantly surprises people and motivates them to return. One of the basic, underlying values that contributes to the atmosphere we all appreciate is that we are becoming more skillful at sharing and treating our friends and fellow travelers with respect and tolerance.