Conservation Center joins ‘Friends’ network

The NFRIA-WSERC Conservation Center has announced that it has joined the Conservation Lands Foundation's Friends Grassroots Network. The NFRIA-WSERC Conservation Center is a 35-year-old grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to build an aware and active community that protects, preserves and enhances the natural, human and economic resources of Delta County.

The Conservation Lands Foundation's Friends Grassroots Network is a collection of over 40 community groups that work to protect and promote the national conservation lands. Local BLM-managed national conservation lands in Delta County include the Gunnison Gorge NCA, Dominguez-Escalante NCA, the Adobe Badlands Wilderness Study Area (WSA), the Needle Rock WSA, the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness, and the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness.

"The Conservation Center is a great addition to the Friends Network because of the group's long history in the community and the passion and commitment of its members," says Charlotte Overby, river coordinator for the Conservation Lands Foundation. "They [The Conservation Center] are made up of people who care deeply about their community, and all the beautiful natural areas around it — like the river, and Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (NCA) — that make it so special."

With the support of the Conservation Lands Foundation, the Conservation Center and its network of friends groups will undertake local conservation projects, build support for the protection of local landscapes and provide a unified voice for the national conservation lands. Grand Junction-based Colorado Canyons Association is also a Friends Group.

John Moore, board member for the Conservation Center, believes this partnership will lend strength to the membership's concerns about potential impacts from natural gas development. "Even when done responsibly, gas development can diminish air and water quality, fragment habitat, and disrupt scenic and recreational values of the entire ecosystem. Joining the Friends Network will provide the Conservation Center with extra capacity to protect our national conservation lands from beyond their boundaries."

The Conservation Center is already actively involved with the Gunnison Gorge NCA. They maintain a 13-year-old water quality monitoring site at the Forks, participated in Take-It-Outside for local sixth graders, and recently started an invasive species removal program. Upcoming public opportunities include the Conservation Center's 14th annual River Awareness Float Trip, guided hikes and volunteer work days.

Karen Tucker, BLM manager for the Gunnison Gorge NCA, said, "I'm excited to see that the Conservation Center will be a part of the Friends Network and I'm looking forward to working with them to expand opportunities for the public at the Gunnison Gorge NCA."

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