Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance collaborates with the Bureau of Land Management to engage the public through education, outreach, and stewardship for the use and enjoyment of the natural and cultural landscape of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and nearby public lands.
Dear <<First Name>>,
On behalf of Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance (SCCA), I humbly welcome you to 2021 and commend you on your brave journey through the vast unknown of what was 2020.
If you feel like I do then you are more than willing to close the book on 2020 and begin anew. However, there are a few lessons from 2020 that I will carry with me into the new year. One is the way in which the simple act of getting outdoors in nature—no matter where or in what conditions—reliably proves to lift my spirits. Two is the sparks of joy that come from proffering any act of kindness.
Photo Credit: Tom Hahl
There is so much to look forward to in 2021. In terms of SCCA, we are brimming with excitement over what activities this year will bring including:
* New volunteer opportunities to enhance visitors’ experiences discovering Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) through our Trail Information Specialist program in partnership with the BLM.
* Work projects to maintain trails, protect natural and cultural resources, and clean up the impact of increased visitation at CANM.
* A renewed commitment to monitoring the three Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) encompassing more than 30,000 pristine acres located within CANM.
* Adapting to digital formats to increase the accessibility and expand the reach of our educational programs.
* Providing engaging virtual presentations and discussion platforms for learning about cultural site stewardship and topics concerning our local public lands.
* Continuing to be the boots-on-the-ground with our volunteer site stewards keeping a watchful eye on our fragile and irreplaceable cultural landscape.
Poised at the start of the new year, we call on you to offer your support to SCCA so that we will have the needed financial resources to sustain the organization’s capacity and turn our work plans into action.
If this letter finds you in a fortunate financial position then please consider paying it forward with a donation to SCCA. Thanks to Cross Canyon Engineering, Dolores River Campground, and several generous individuals, our Season of Giving fundraising campaign encompassed a dollar-for-dollar match of donations up to $8,500. The match is still in on! Our goal is to generate the remaining $4,500 in donations by or before the auspicious date of Wednesday, January 20, 2021.
Kindly act now by utilizing the donation portal hosted by Onward! A Legacy Foundation. This can be accessed by visiting bit.ly/onwardfoundation. Scroll to Fiscal Funds, find “Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance” enter the amount of your desired donation and indicate your preference for “Donation Frequency”, either a one time donation or a monthly donation can be selected. If you would prefer to mail in your donation then click here to complete our donation form.
This past year, showed extraordinary increases in visitation to our local public lands and resulted in overwhelming demands on our BLM partner. Now, is a crucial time to support SCCA, the designated Friends group for CANM, to ensure that we can make a concerted effort to educate new visitors to our area on how to recreate responsibly and mobilize our volunteers to clean up after those who don’t. The shared love for our local landscape abounds.
This is the best moment to deepen your commitment to the public lands in our own backyard to ensure not only the protection of our natural and cultural resources but also our collective health and well being that enjoying these places bestows to all of us.
Together, we can turn the power of community into the action we envision to protect our local public lands. Thank you for joining us with your support.
Charitable Giving Incentives:Current federal legislation reestablishes the temporary $300 above-the-line deduction for people who do not itemize their deductions and establishes a $600 deduction for couples filing jointly in 2021. This also extends for one year the increased limits on deductible charitable contributions for individuals who itemize and for corporations.
Here’s How to Make Your Donation:
Making a donation is easy. There are a variety of donation options available to you. To make a donation online go tobit.ly/onwardfoundation and scroll to “Fiscal Funds”. Find “Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance”, enter $50, $100, $250 or any amount that you desire to contribute as a tax-deductible donation.
