The Rio Grand Headwaters Trust

I am trying to get my paintings ready for a show in South Fork entitled Keeping the Rio Grande Grand, sponsored by the Rio Grande Headwaters Trust. The Headwaters Trust working to keep the Rio Grand Corridor protected. The show will be held August 16th at the South Fork, CO, Community Center and should be great fun.

A Benefit for RiGHT.
Please join us and fine artists from the San Luis Valley and across the Southwest in support of our important conservation work.

Saturday August 16, 2008
6pm to 9pm
South Fork Community Center,
South Fork, Colorado

Why Protect the Rio Grande:
Land and water conversion from open space and agriculture to development of subdivisions on private lands threatens the integrity of the Rio Grande including: loss or degradation of wildlife habitat (including the South Western Willow Flycatcher, listed as Endangered), fragmentation and development of corridors for residential and commercial uses and transportation, increased sedimentation and pollution, introduction of invasive and exotic species, loss of agricultural productivity and its economic contributions, water table reductions and changing return flows, to name a few.

Why Now:
The Rio Grande corridor in Colorado is still relatively intact, but the threats to it are increasing at an alarming pace. Currently there are 10,700 acres of private land protected along the Rio Grande by either RiGHT, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited or the National Resources Conservation Service. However, nearly 40,000 acres of intact private land remains unprotected and susceptible to development. This combined with the frenzied pace of growth along the Rio Grande means we need to take action now. As the American Farmland Trust report "Farming on the Edge" states, "We are losing our best land - most fertile and productive - the fastest.

I hope that this event will be well attended- I will be in attendence and am looking forward to this event. More information is at this link http://www.riograndelandtrust.org/index.html