July 21: Annual Board Meeting and BBQ at the Pavilion!

Join us for our annual meeting, meet the board directors, share comments and suggestions and have lunch on us! We will be providing a BBQ lunch for all who attend.

July 25: Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be here doing research on our bat colony.

July 23 - 27: CCW Adventure Program, Science Camp at the Everson Ranch (special program)

July 29 - August 2: OLT's annual Kids Science Camp (registration is full)

August 6 - August 12: Rustic Roots Music Camp at Everson Ranch

OLT is thrilled to have this wonderful event returning to the Everson Ranch.  To learn more about it contact Rustic Roots directly.

Rustic Roots campfire jamming camp announces its 8th year and 2nd year at Orient Land Trust in the San Luis Valley - August 6-12, 2018.  Join Teaching Artists and Camp Hosts Joy Adams & Andy Reiner (Half Pelican) as well as Hazel Ketchum & John Holenko (The Hungry Monks) and Jerry Bryant and others for a musical-foodie-outdoors retreat in the mountains. Music workshops, collaborative farm-to-table meals, campfire jamming, tent camping with bathhouse access (or bring your large camping vehicle), yoga, optional adventure excursions to hot springs, hiking, Great Sand Dunes National Park, and rock climbing. 

Musical Styles include: Campfire Songs, Old-Time Appalachian, Bluegrass, Celtic, Grateful Dead, Scandinavian, Sea Shanties, Gypsy Jazz, Free Improvisations and more!   Families and non-musicians welcome - come for the whole week or just a part!  All Ages (Under 18 w/parent or guardian). Sign up and more information at www.rusticroots.net

Members Only! June 22, 23 is Member Appreciation Weekend. The celebration is coming up soon. No members will be turned away but non-members will not be admitted. Don't bring a guest unless they are a member. The Friday night band is The Groove Farmers from Salida, Colorado. The Saturday night band is Reviva from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Remember to bring a delicious contribution to the Saturday afternoon potluck. Breakfast Sunday morning provided by Orient Land Trust and staff. Noon Sunday, non members will be considered based on capacity. Please, park your vehicle along the road. Unload first and then remove the vehicle from the people space. Ask for a shuttle ride back to the yard. If you visit Valley View for peace and quiet, consider a different weekend.

Yep. Here we are in the good ol' summertime. Valley View is a refreshing spot. We will reach capacity every day through September so, call ahead!

What do you love about Valley View? Thank you Artful Dancer for this beautiful poem which describes how so many of us feel and to Scott Rappold who captures the light, energy and colors in his beautiful photographs.

Granting Wishes

  The way the mist rises over the pools in the early morning. The serenity.
     The way burdens fall off there. The grace of the oaks.
        The view of course. The hail hitting the pools.
  The shiny crystalline magical things kids throw into the pools.
 The trail that leads North and around the corner to who knows where…...more North.
         The sauna rocks like no other in America that I have been in.
 The staff. The trust. The concept. The deer. The oak house. The ahhhhhhhhh!
       The safe haven feeling. Welcome Home.
    I love Valley View, miss Valley View.
Want to recreate my own Valley View every where I go.
 Personally, every time for me, what brings me back is that lovely, lovely ahhhhhhh!

— ArtfulDancer

The problem with holistic management is it's so profoundly simple, but it's not easy. And it's profoundly simple. You're almost insulting people's intelligence to explain it twice, just about making better decisions of where you want to go in your life, bringing in environmental, social, economic issues simultaneously.
- Allan Savory

There's no denying the negative impacts our current agricultural systems are creating on our environment. Land degradation, loss of natural animal habitats, and the pollution of our waterways are a few of the well known problems, but one of the more hidden dangers is greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Large scale confined animal feeding operations are a contributing factor to rising carbon, methane, and nitrous oxide levels. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, total emissions from global livestock represents 14.5 percent of all anthropogenic GHG emissions. The problems span from food production to manure storage and the fossil fuels burned transporting that food around the globe, to the health concerns of the consumers. The challenges of this system of monoculture and confined animal lots are evident and can not be denied.

At the Everson Ranch, we believe in operating in a different paradigm. Through the use of holistic land management, thoughtful energy practices, and soil improvement programs, we strive to leave the Earth better than we found it.

The Savory Institute, based on the teachings of biologist and farmer Allan Savory, is a leader in education of holistic land management. According to the Savory Institute, holistic management can be defined as a process of decision making and planning that gives people the insights and management tools needed to understand nature: resulting in better and more informed decisions that balance key social, environmental, and financial considerations. Holistic planned grazing is a complex method for managing grazing to provide healthy livestock feed, prevent erosion, integrate wildlife, improve the soil, and plan for drought and fire. These are the principles and guidelines that inspire our work at the Ranch.

The Everson Ranch is home to Scottish Highland Cows, Large Black Pigs, several varieties of goats and chickens, ducks, and a llama. Our heritage breed animals play a large role in maintaining and improving the health of the land.

Grazing is one of the most effective ways to increase carbon in the soil, resulting in soil that is bioactive; alive with more nutrients available to the growing plants, allowing the animals to graze the land, munch the plants to the ground while leaving the root base of the plant intact. This allows the roots to remain in the soil and become fertilizer for the new plants to grow. By leaving the network of roots behind, grazing is key in fighting against erosion of the soil. It also creates a less shady environment for the new growth by removing overgrown plants.

As the animals roam the land, their feet naturally break up the soil, churning it up and making it more viable. As they leave fertilizer behind, some of the methane naturally created is metabolized by the bacteria, fungi, algae, and proteza populations of soil. The build up of methane producing waste is a huge contributor to GHG, as methane is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing global warming.

In order to combat these issues, in August of 2016, we installed a methane digester to collect manure. By capturing and burning the methane produced from animal manure, anaerobic digesters work to lower the rate of global warming. Here in Saguache County, we are pioneering the usability of this approach to digesting wastes as a substitute for conventional septic systems.

Improving soil health is the focus of our garden, which is growing by leaps and bounds. Employing holistic gardening methods, which care for all of the environment, and sustainable practices, including companion planting, crop rotation, and composting instead of chemical fertilizers, we're improving the land and feeding our community. The hoop houses extend our limited growing season and we're already enjoying the fresh lettuce and herbs.

We're proud to share what we've been up to with our visitors and volunteers. Our summer season began with the celebration of World Naked Gardening day. Our ranch guests all pitched in to transplant vegetables into the new hoop house. With the help of all the volunteers, we accomplished our task in no time. We ended the celebration with a community meal provided by the ranch staff to thank all who came out to help and support our work. Our summer plans continue with volunteer projects in the garden every Saturday morning including tours of the ranch and a community 'Field to Fork' lunch served weekly at one. Our menu changes each week and is always focused on what we can cultivate right here at the ranch and source throughout the Valley.
Sunday mornings, Cherrye makes her homemade pancakes, with locally sourced wheat flour, for our weekly Sunday Brunch. Fresh eggs gathered from our chickens, breakfast sausage from our heritage pigs, greens from the garden, and a fresh fruit salad round out the menu.

Join us June 23rd for an herbal remedies class led by Malana Fox. Come and learn about herbs and herbal remedies that promote digestion through the bitter principles. We will also explore herbs and remedies that ease indigestion, gas, and bloating (the carminative herbs). This will be a fun class where we sample remedies and share recipes.

Member Appreciation Weekend is June 22 and June 23. This is earlier than the past couple of years. It will come up quickly so make your plans now. This weekend is for members only, no non-member guests will be admitted. We will waive the capacity limits for this weekend so all members are welcome. For those of you who haven't attended a member appreciation weekend, be aware that there will be more people here than normal. It works well when people move over, make room, and share. We ask that all vehicles park along the road leaving room for people around the pools and cabins. You may drive in to unload. After unloading, park below the Welcome Center and along the road. Enjoy the space that opens when vehicles aren't parked in every available spot. As on other member appreciation weekends, we ask vehicle campers to minimize moving their campers, vans, and RVs.

The Saguache County Sheriff's Department has all of eastern Saguache County under a fire ban. No campfires anywhere, including the usual evening fire at the Pavilion. Also being enforced is the no smoking outside stipulation. As usual, smoking is allowed only inside your vehicle or at the Smoke Hut. In late April, there was a grass wildfire along County Road GG. Luckily, the wind was mild that day and the volunteer fire department was able to quickly contain and extinguish this fire. A close reminder to be extra careful this year.

"The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard."
― Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World

As another summer season begins, we are filled with excitement as the garden and educational programs continue to grow. It wouldn't be possible without the continued support of the OLT Board members, dedicated ranch staff, and the many volunteers that join us each season. We would also like to thank those who came out to the ranch for a tour, worked in the garden, and joined us for a meal. This year alone, we have hosted tours for over 200 guests! It's truly an honor to share our hard work and vision and we're all delighted to continue to see those numbers grow as summer approaches.

On Friday, April 20th, members of the ranch staff attended the AgriSummit in Salida. The day was filled with wonderful workshops, networking with the local food community, and building relationships with people throughout the region. Our gratitude goes out to all the sponsors and supporters of this wonderful event. The evening concluded with a movie presentation of Farmers For America. This wonderful film highlights the challenges facing farmers in the current climate as well as opportunities for change in the future. For example, did you know that half of America's farmland will change hands in the next 12 years? Or that the average age of the American farmer is nearly 60 years old? It was so inspiring to our ranch managers, we've decided to host our own screening! Watch for more details as the summer progresses. Check out the trailer for this inspirational and educational movie here: www.leaveitbetter.com/farmers-for-america

Ranch manager Mike O'Donal strives to be on the front line of education for the next generation of sustainable farmers and ranchers. Mike led most of the tours last year showing visitors the progress and sharing ideas for the future. Cherrye O'Donal organized the Saturday afternoon barbecues and Sunday brunches in an effort to share some of the good food being produced at the ranch. She plans on hosting those again this year. This year, the Saturday barbecue will start at 1:00 pm. For 2018, Brian and Dru Ross, and their son Brook, will be helping with all the work that goes on at the ranch, particularly in the garden.

With the help of the Eiseman Grant, we are able to hire interns each summer and pass along real life skills that are bound to serve students throughout their lives. This program is open to juniors and seniors throughout the San Luis Valley and we're still accepting applications for the 2018 season.

Our volunteer program also continues to grow and we love having the help. Whether you can come for a day or a week, we're always happy to have new faces working the land. If you're interested in learning more, you can find the volunteer applications here: http://www.olt.org/olt/get-involved/volunteer

This April brought the completion of our 80 foot hoop house. Getting the plastic on the hoop house while battling the SLV winds was no small feat! Garden manager Brian is excited about the opportunities this brings to extend our growing season and increase our harvest throughout the year. Memorial Day weekend begins our summer Saturday celebrations, hosting tours and sharing a meal with our guests. Join us May 26th for volunteering in the garden from 9am-1pm, tours of the Ranch at noon and two, and lunch at 1pm.

Sunday mornings will begin at 9am with yoga class taught by Cynthia Nielsen followed by brunch with Cherrye at 10am.

Orient Land Trust has an abundant bird population arriving this month! For those of you who get up early, you may have heard the cacophony of bird song which occurs every year starting in late May. If you've seen the photos at the welcome center and have wondered just how and where they were taken, now is your chance to explore the property with photographer and birdwatcher, Dr. Daniel Flemming. Dan will be leading several workshops at the hot springs and Everson Ranch. Be prepared for short hikes with good walking shoes, water bottle, sunblock and hat. Bring binoculars or cameras with telephoto lens. The workshops are offered at no charge and you can sign up at the Welcome Center.

Sunday, May 13th, 6:30 AM - 10 AM. Meet at the Welcome Center

Sunday, May 27th, 4 PM till dusk. Meet at the Everson Ranch

Monday, May 28th, 6:30 AM - 10 AM. Meet at the Welcome Center