This year we have had to make a priority out of doing some long due upgrading. We have had to build another employee cabin to house Mike and Cherrye, who will help to fill the huge void left by Neil and Terry's retirement. We are completely revamping the electrical system to allow us to continue to operate under drought conditions, which look like they are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Four years ago we were producing 60 KWs, today we are lucky to get 38. And to do that we've had to hire two electrical specialists, Eric and Scott. The old waste water treatment facility is almost a thing of the past, by next summer, due to our State mandated new waste water treatment facility, you will neither hear nor smell the wastes of the village being treated. Finally, those old pests the bedbugs have necessitated complete remodeling of the cabins, which we started last year. We have taken the opportunity while remodeling to replace electric heat with geothermal, in-floor heating, which lowers the load on the electricity system. But, tackling all these necessary projects has put a huge load on the budget. We last raised prices four years ago and while we hate to do it, we have found it necessary to do so again in order to remain sustainable for the long run. We are doing an analysis of our pricing in comparison with other hot springs and within the context of our financial needs and will be implementing a new pricing system the day after Memorial Day. So visit soon to take advantage of our old prices. Thank you so much for your understanding that these increases are absolutely necessary in order to continue to operate under legal mandates and in a manner that is healthy, safe, and aesthetically acceptable to our cherished visitors. Thank you so much for your understanding!

The Orient Land Trust is committed to our community. Our mission statement is clear: "Orient Land Trust is 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 education and enjoyment of current and future generations."

Equally important is OLT's commitment to the economy of the northern San Luis Valley and its surrounding areas. One of the best ways for all of us to help our local economy is to buy as much as possible from our local merchants and service providers. Money spent in our area, stays in our area.

Money circulates closer to home when we buy local products at locally owned businesses. There is ripple effect in our community when those businesses and their employees in turn spend their money locally. In fact, for every $1 spent at local businesses, 45 cents is then reinvested locally. When money is spent at non-local corporations only 15 cents is reinvested locally. If a greater percentage of our community buys locally, the multiplier effect turns our money into big bucks for the local economy. In fact, studies have shown that an increase of local spending from 50 to 80 percent more than doubles the local effect. What a way to help our friends and neighbors! The added bonus is that we don't have to drive as far to get what we need, and we can save on fuel costs.

It makes sense to shop locally, especially during bad economic times. According to the Local Institute for Self Reliance, three times more money stays in the local economy when you buy goods and services from locally owned businesses instead of large chain stores. All of us at OLT recognize this and support the cycle of sustainability by selling many local products in the Welcome Center. Please enjoy these items knowing you are also contributing to our mission of conservation, agriculture and the local community.

Let's all do it!!

Cherrye Williams

How often have you awoken in the Valley View Village and longed for a hot cafe au lait or hot chocolate of a lovely June morning? How often have your kids asked for ice cream on a hot August afternoon? Well, we have a solution! We are putting in a lovely Amish log cabin next to the Pavilion and we will be having local youth working to help you as part of OLT's youth job development program. You will be able to buy local foods, clothing, sunscreen, sarongs, goggles - anything your heart desires that we carry!

We're always trying new ways to engage and delight our members. This summer we've got some fun activities scheduled for you, beginning with a special performance by the Jah Kings, June 15th at 7PM at the Valley View Hot Springs Pavilion. This band, out of Fair Grove, Missouri and fronted by Alexander Kofi, has offered this free show to OLT members in order to spread their message of unconditional love, non-judgment and service to mankind through a mix of blues, funk and jazz set to a reggae beat. We're asking for a donation of at least $5 per person to cover expenses for the band.

On July 27th we're hosting special events for kids ages 5-18 at the first annual OLT Kids Day. We're still putting together the details of this event, but we've got circus performers, storytellers, and arts and crafts projects planned throughout the day. Remember, children fifteen and under are always admitted free, every day at OLT/Valley View Hot Springs. We love our kiddos!

Here's something new and different for OLT: a Fine Art and Painting Workshop hosted by renowned plein air artist Jude Bischoff. This is a 4-day intensive, held the weekend of July 29th - 31st. The workshop will cover composition, drawing and painting techniques that Jude claims will have you producing beautiful paintings without pre-planning or preconceived ideas. Cost is $449 per person and does not include accommodations or use of the facilities, so book your stay now if you'd like to attend the workshop. See the ad in this newsletter for more information. http://www.judebischoff.com/

And, don't forget the OLT Board of Directors Meeting on July 20th. This is our Annual Outreach Meeting and is your chance to share your ideas and opinions on OLT's future with the board. We are discussing our new Strategic Plan and the meeting will be held at the Ranch!

Also, we're still looking for local bands to perform at our annual Member's Appreciation Weekend, scheduled for August 16-18th. OLT provides the entertainment Friday and Saturday nights and a free breakfast on Sunday morning; members share in an eclectic pot luck dinner and enjoy each other's company with dancing, soaking and lots of revelry throughout the weekend! Let us know if you've got suggestions for a danceable lineup. And remember, this is a members-only event so be sure to join up if you aren't yet a member because this weekend is everybody's favorite Summer event!

So, this summer is shaping up to be a fun and exciting one at Orient Land Trust. Our usual people quota and reservation policies will apply throughout the summer season (except Members Weekend,) so please plan accordingly. With your donation you have the privilege of reserving ahead for these special events. Call the OLT Welcome Center at 719-256-4315 to make that donation and reserve your stay today!

In order to keep all our visitors safe and sound, happy and content, we are enforcing our long standing rules and changing some others.

The most important thing for everyone to remember is the baseline of Respect, Recognition and Responsibility. Have respect for yourself and others. Look around and recognize the needs of others and the effect your behavior is having on them. Take responsibility for your actions. If everyone does this, OLT will be a better place. Indeed, the world will be a better place.

As all of you know who have visited in the last months, all OLT/Valley View Hot Springs visitors must show a valid, government-issued identification upon arrival. This insures the safety of all of our guests and helps us find you in case of an emergency.

We've always had a quota for the amount of people allowed onsite on any given day which insures that OLT remains a peaceful and less-crowded alternative to other hot springs. Due to an increase in problems with improperly managed pets, we have found ourselves spending many hours dealing with dog issues. We have looked at all different ways of addressing this issue, including banning dogs altogether. However, we love dogs and so are going to try some other measures first. As of now we are only allowing two pets per accommodation or camp site. Please let us know when making reservations if you plan on bringing your pet with you. OLT reserves the right to turn away any visitors who do not reserve a space for their pet ahead of time. Also, pet fees have increased recently and are as follows: $5 per pet for day visitors; $10 per pet for tent and vehicle campers and $15 per pet for those reserving cabins. A $50 deposit per pet is held upon arrival in case of damages or pet rules violations. As always, pets are not allowed in the Oak House or at the Sunset House. So, if you book those accommodations, please make other arrangements for your pet off-site during your stay. For their safety, we do not allow pets to remain in vehicles, and only well-behaved pets are allowed on OLT property. As always, please, please pick up your dogs' poop! Please help us keep OLT open to our canine companions!

In the past we have allowed members to maintain a tab during their stay and pay their balance before leaving. We're sorry to announce that all admission fees must now be paid upon arrival before entry to the hot springs. A valid credit card (or a $100 cash deposit) must also be kept on file in the event of possible damages or guideline violations. We're sorry for any inconvenience.

As always, OLT is a family oriented organization and kids are everywhere. Please keep all sexual behavior in your private accommodations. This behavior is not allowed at the pools, the sauna or the bunks at the Oak House – nowhere but your private accommodations. Overt sexual behavior elsewhere is grounds for immediate and permanent exclusion from OLT. Thank you so much for your cooperation.

Our volunteers are awesome! Without the help of volunteers, OLT would not be able to sustain the kind of experience we all enjoy here. We still have a need for Bat Hosts, Astronomy Hosts, and Discovery Hosts throughout the summer months, as well as Camp Hosts for September through November. Hosts receive free admission and camping sites, not to mention our undying gratitude! We've also got lots of work to do at Everson Ranch. If you've got an interest in sustainable agriculture, have veterinary skills or don't mind a little hard work as a general Ranch Hand, please fill out a volunteer application or call Dave Beaulieu, OLT Volunteer Coordinator, at 719-256-4315. Thanks for volunteering! It's going to be a great summer!

De la France au Colorado ...Ou de la mer à la montagne ...

L'arrivée dans le plus haut état des USA a demandé un petit temps d'adaptation. Le mal des montagnes était inévitable pour moi qui vis au bord de l'océan. Trois jours après mon premier pas en terre américaine, j'ai enfin pu découvrir l'Orient Land Trust, un endroit magnifique, naturel, magique. J'ai été accueilli chaleureusement par les gens de la vallée, et surtout par l'équipe du parc. La seule difficulté a été de mettre un nom sur tous ces visages souriants. J'ai pu profiter des bassins d'eaux chaudes et de la piscine avec un immense plaisir et découvrir la douce vie au ranch Everson. Ici je regarde l'herbe pousser et les poules grandir.

Au bout de deux semaines, j'ai enfin croisé mon premier coyote, j'ai testé la root beer, manger du Yak et de délicieux smoothies...

En tout cas, au bout de trois semaines de séjour, je me sens chez moi à l'OLT avec l'horizon sur la vallée à perte de vue. Je ne me sens pas dépaysée grâce aux grands espaces comme en Bretagne. Et la pluie ne me manque pas, même si elle est attendue ici.
Margaux, French Volunteer in Paradise

From France to Colorado... Or from sea to mountain

To begin life in the highest state of USA, you need a short time of adaptation. The altitude sickness was inevitable for me as I come from the seashore. Three days after my first step in America, I finally discovered Orient Land Trust, a beautiful, natural, magic place. I was welcomed warmly by the people of the valley, and mainly by the team at OLT. The only difficulty was to put names to all these smiling faces. I enjoyed the soaking ponds and the swimming pool with immense pleasure, and discovered the sweet life at the Everson ranch. Here, I watch the grass and the chickens grow.

After two weeks, I finally met my first coyote, I tried root beer, ate Yak and delicious smoothies...

Anyway, after three weeks here, I feel at home at OLT with the endless horizons in the valley. I do not feel homesick thanks to large spaces like those found in Brittany. And I do not miss the rain, even though it is so needed here.
Margaux, Volontaire Française au Paradis

The grid doesn't exist at Valley View Hot Springs! OLT has its own hydro-electric system to keep the lights on. And it has been running smoothly and has not been offline in months! Some of the items dependent on the system are: lights, refrigeration, heat, cooking, water pump, computers, hot water in the Apple Tree Pools! And anything else that takes electricity!

But there are limits to the flow of electrons. It takes water to turn the turbine that turns the generator, but we are in the throws of a drought with no end in sight. Where we were once producing 60 kilowatts, we are now down to 38! I am enlisting the aid of everyone to help keep the soaking pools hot by not using any more electricity than you absolutely need!

Late last year OLT was given a beautiful opportunity to help the San Luis Valley. Ben Eiseman, a local ranch owner and long-time supporter of OLT, passed away. His family and OLT have created the Ben and Mary Eisemen Educational Fund to help local SLV youth learn job skills within the mission areas of OLT. We have several exciting projects for this year. With the help of our French intern, Margaux Tachet, we will be developing a natural resource baseline inventory and monitoring program to track our progress in optimizing the conditions of our lands. Margaux will work with two volunteer youth and several local paid youth alongside our partners, the Kerber Creek Restoration Project, the Rio Grande Watershed Conservation and Education Initiative, Center Conservation District, and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority. The second project within this program will be having local youth man our Trading Post. They will learn customer service, how to handle money, how to be great sales people, how to make good coffee, and other useful life skills. It is our hope to also create an alternative energy education program around our hydroelectric system as well as the solar technology we intend to install to make the Everson Ranch a sustainable endeavor. The Federal government has deemed the SLV one of the solar centers of the country (335 days of sunshine at 7500 feet altitude) and we want our kids to get those jobs when they come! If you have any desire to help with this wonderful program, please let us know. Mentorship is one of the critical keys to a successful future for our kids!

You know how every year we have a Member's Appreciation Weekend that is so fun, but no kids come? Well, this year, in addition to that marvelous party, we will have a Kid's Weekend! The weekend of July 30, we will have all kinds of kids in attendance and things for those kids to do in addition to swimming, wallowing in mud, chasing damselflies, diving for gnome stones, and worshipping the fireflies. We'll have scavenger hunts, astronomy discussions, bat activities, face painting, hat building, t-shirt designing, cooking, music, circus skills, art projects, talent shows – all kinds of fabulous things just for kids – kids of all ages. There will be no shushing of kids that weekend! Parents, come with your kids and with ideas and materials for cool things to do. If it takes preparation email Cherrye at . Remember, even on Kids' Weekend, kids need to be accompanied by adults. Always make sure your kids are safe, they are ever so precious!