Orient Land Trust is a unique place of peace, community and soothing waters that nourish the environment and inspire us to preserve it. Our goal is to create awareness of environmental issues, resource sustainability, land and habitat conservation. We provide our youth with the opportunity to experience this unique environment, to expand their knowledge of the natural world through our educational programs and to instill a sense of stewardship and personal responsibility. This September we hosted directors and youth from Conejos Clean Water's (CCW) Adventure Program. They participated in several of our educational programs including a Bat Tour, Hydro-electric Tour, Astronomy Tour and Everson Ranch Tour. The group camped over at the ranch, helped in the garden and hiked to the reservoir. Thank you to our volunteer tour guides and to CCW for a wonderful experience. OLT is very happy to sponsor your Adventure Program!

It has been an exciting summer for bodyworkers and the tipi offers a calm relaxation. As the weather cools we will offer sessions in the small Amish Cabin.

You will find details on our website 

A variety of therapies are offered to include various massage techniques, aquatic therapy and reflexology

Happy Autumn Equinox and blessings of joy and inspiration.from our dedicated team of therapists.

Cynthia L Nielsen LMT RYT
OLT Bodywork Coordinator

719.298.0360 text

Get your tickets now for Orient Land Trust's second year Ranch Celebration event on Sept 16, 2017.

Join us at the Historic Everson Ranch for a wonderful Chuckwagon Dinner Concert/Dance, ranch tours and more. This year's entertainment will be provided by the preeminent western music pioneers, The Flying W Wranglers. The wonderful folks at Rustingram Catering are preparing the food again this year.

The Flying W Wranglers have been performing music for over 63 years, making them the second oldest Western Music group in the world. Riding with the Wranglers promises the experience of classic country, western swing and gospel music with a bit of Cowboy wit. Expect unique western harmonies, fantastic yodeling, superb instrumentation and great songs of the American West. The Flying W Wranglers are a Colorado tradition and we're proud to have them in these parts for this special occasion. http://www.flyingwwranglers.com/

The Chuckwagon Dinner will include all the fixin's, with vegetarian and gluten free options. The dinner will feature meat and vegetables from the ranch served in true farm-to-table fashion. Help us celebrate the wonderful efforts and successes at the ranch this year as we harvest the best that the San Luis Valley has to offer.

A few tickets may be left.  Call the office before 2:00 pm today to check availability and pay for your tickets. 719-256-4315. Tickets for the dinner and concert are $50 per adult, $25 for minors aged 13-17 and there is no extra charge for kids under 12. All kids and minors must be accompanied by an adult. Camping will be available at the the ranch on Saturday night for an additional $10 per campsite.

Saturday, September 16 2017 

at OLT's Everson Ranch
Dinner begins at 4 pm
Concert and Dance from
4:00 to 6:30 pm

The Everson Ranch is part of the Orient Land Trust's Land Conservation Program which protects over 2200 acres. We engage in historic ranching operations with the goal of soil and water restoration. Other ranch projects improve riparian areas and eliminate invasive weeds. The reservoir at the ranch is also protecting Rio Grande Chub and Rio Grande Sucker fish species.

We look forward to seeing you there. Contact us for more information and to purchase tickets.

Online ticket Sales Closed.  Call the office to check availability. 719-256-4315.  Thank you.

The next time you're rumbling up County Road GG after a long drive, your eyes fixed on paradise, clothes already starting to come off, slow down and take a look around. That ranch off to the south is the Everson Ranch and the hot springs you love wouldn't exist as it is if not for the Everson family.

Thanks to the efforts of the Orient Land Trust, its employees and volunteers, the Everson family's historic ranch – you see it off to right at the junction with County Road 61 about halfway up from the highway – is being restored to a working farm and ranch; a living, breathing example of sustainable agriculture and environmental practices.

We were informed on 7/27/17 that our monthly drinking water test has come back positive for E.Coli and Total Coliform Bacteria. Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source. The state of Colorado has ordered a boil order.

July has been a very wet month here and we believe this is what is causing the problem. This affects our drinking water spring only, not the pools or ponds.

We are providing commercial water to fill your water bottles and encourage everyone to bring water with them.

If you have questions or concerns please give us a call at 719-256-4315.

Below is a copy of the boil order:

DRINKING WATER WARNING
Valley View Hot Springs (PWSID CO0255850)

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING
Hiervan el Agua Antes de Usarla

E. coli and total coliform bacteria with no chlorine residual were found in the water supply between 07/24/2017 and 07/29/2017. These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.

Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source (for example, following heavy rains). It can also happen due to a break in the distribution system (pipes) or a failure in the water treatment process.

What does this mean? What should I do?

o DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one (1) minutes, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

o E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly and people with severely compromised immune systems. The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice.

o If you have an infant, severely compromised immune system, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your doctor about drinking this water. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection by bacteria and other disease-causing organisms are available from EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

What is being done?

o We will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water. 
o We are providing commercial safe drinking water and following all recommendations and state mandates.

We anticipate resolving the problem by as soon as possible. For more information, please contact OLT’s Facility Manager Mark Jacobi at or 719-298-0660.

*Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.*

Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre su agua potable. Tradúzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

This notice is being sent to you by the Valley View Hot Springs
Colorado Public Water System ID#: CO0255850
Date distributed: 7/27/2017
Generic Flushing and Sanitization Procedure for the Distribution System

The flushing and sanitizing of a drinking water system begins at the treatment plant and proceeds systematically outward to all ends of the distribution system. Proper flushing, sanitation, and bacteriological testing are required prior to lifting a boil-water advisory.

1. The first step is to increase the disinfectant (chlorine) level leaving the properly operating treatment plant, and entering the distribution system, to between 3 and 4 mg/l (free chlorine).

2. The next step is to systematically begin flushing from the entry point of the distribution system outwards to all ends of the distribution system. Adequate flushing can be easily verified by measuring for the increased disinfectant residual at each flushing point.

3. After flushing, the disinfectant (chlorine) residual level is returned to the normal operating range and the system is once again flushed until the disinfectant (chlorine) level at the system’s furthest tap is within the normal operating range, generally greater than 0.2 mg/l but less than 2.0 mg/l free chlorine.

4. Once the quality of finished water has stabilized throughout the distribution system, microbiological samples (Standard Coliform Test) must be collected at representative locations, (minimum of 3 to 10 sample points), in the distribution system, including all ends of the system. Disinfectant (chlorine) levels in the sampled water must also be measured at the same time the microbiological samples are collected.

5. If the above microbiological monitoring results indicate unsafe conditions (total coliform – positive, on any single sample) the above procedure must be re-implemented until the microbiological monitoring results indicate safe conditions, (total coliform – negative, on all sample locations).

6. Submit results in a written document summarizing all activities undertaken to fix the treatment problem, flush and sanitize the distribution system, and results of all laboratory and field-testing.

Introducing the New Telescope at Orient Land Trust.   See the video below.

The rain clouds have blocked the night skies the past two weeks. We are glad for the rain even as we lament the blocked view of the stars. The thirsty mountains are drinking it in and clear nights will return. When they do, take time on a clear evening to look through the eyepiece.

There are guests that wait for 10:00 pm and the quiet hours. All day long people are playing in the water, meeting friends and family for conversation and laughter. Some people come to celebrate and make music. All day long, those activities are welcome and expected. At 10:00 pm the time begins for listening to the flow of the water, watching the sky and stars as the warm water relaxes and soothes. You can help! From 10:00 pm to 8:00 am, keep the noise to a minimum. Leave the car turned off in the parking lot. Save the conversations for later. Be sensitive to the night, the fireflies, the dark. Let's give a few hours every 24 hours to those who come for peace, reflection, and relishing all too rare quiet.

August 4 and 5 are the dates for this year's Member Appreciation Weekend. Orient Land Trust would like to make this time to thank all members for their support and contributions. OLT members communicate the values of OLT, help keep the community alive, and provide the funding for enduring land conservation work. Members are vital to OLT's continuing to function. To extend our gratitude, we offer some special events during the weekend. There will be two bands; Friday night, Whitewater Ramble and Saturday night, Tumbleweed. Potluck supper Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning, breakfast is provided by OLT and served by staff and volunteers. Remember that this weekend is member's only - no guests. Our capacity limits will be waived and all members will be admitted. This usually means more people than normal so share the space gracefully. We also ask that, after you unload your supplies, you park along the road, which will make more room for people.

Some of the most exciting new additions at Everson Ranch this summer are the new honey bee hives. We have two hives with the Italian Strain and one hive of the Carniolan Strain. During the 1st year the colonies will build up their troops along with enough honey to get them through the winter, Next year we should be collecting honey and other products that the hives produce (including beeswax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly). In addition to our new hives we also have at least six natural hives on the land.

Honeybees live in colonies with one queen running the whole hive. Worker honeybees are all females and are the only bees most people ever see flying around outside of the hive. They forage for food, build the honeycombs, and protect the hive. Many species still occur in the wild, but honeybees are disappearing from hives due to colony collapse disorder. Scientists are not sure what is causing this collapse.

Honeybees are important pollinators for flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They live on stored honey and pollen all winter and cluster into a ball to conserve warmth. All honeybees are social and cooperative insects. Members of the hive are divided into three types. Workers forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean, and circulate air by beating their wings. The queen's job is simple—she lays the eggs that will spawn the hive's next generation of bees. There is usually only a single queen in a hive. If the queen dies, workers will create a new queen by feeding one of the worker females a special food called "royal jelly." This elixir enables the worker to develop into a fertile queen.

Queens regulate the hive's activities by producing chemicals that guide the behavior of the other bees. Male bees are called drones—the third class of honeybee. Several hundred drones live in each hive during the spring and summer, but they are expelled for the winter months when the hive goes into a lean survival mode.

With even just one hive you can help grow local gardens, fruit orchards, vegetable plantations, etc. The survival of plants depends on pollination, and the honey bee accounts for 80 percent of all pollination done by insects. Without the honey bee's services, more than a third of the fruits and vegetables that humans consume would be lost.

Bee sure to stop by the ranch and learn what's all of the buzz with beekeeping!

Thank you Members! Each year, OLT celebrates and gives thanks for our members during Member Appreciation Weekend. Anyone can become a member and no members are turned away. With so many fun-lovin' folks, we ask everyone to park down the road from the Welcome Center and be especially mindful of one another and our delicate space. Our supply of ice is limited and we encourage sharing tent spaces whenever possible. 

Enjoy live music at the Pavilion from 9 pm-around 1 am on Friday and Saturday nights..

Friday Night Band: Whitewater Ramble

Described as “High-Octane Rocky Mountain DanceGrass”, Whitewater Ramble (WWR) uses a simple recipe to craft it’s sound: start with bluegrass instrumentation, add drums, and finish with a boundary-less approach to grassing-up everything from disco house grooves to roots to Americana. The Colorado-bred quintet combines the elements of mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar, upright bass, drums and vocals to explore the musical boundaries of multiple genres and to fuel their own mixture of original music and innovative cover song interpretations. http://whitewaterramble.com/

Saturday Night Band: Tumbleweed

The history of Member Appreciation Weekend wrapped up in one of the valley's finest bands.  Enjoy classic favorites done right. We've been lucky to have Tumbleweed play at the hot springs many times over the years and it's great to have them back in 2017.