Daughters of the American Revolution 
Pictured above are some of the ladies from the Ft. William Bent Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Mildred Stolebarger, Bertha Ritter, Lula Cole, Joyce Powell, Kathy Self, and Kathy Nutt The ladies from the local Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapter invited BCCD to speak at their March 8th gathering. Misty George, BCCD District Manager, began by sharing the history of Conservation Districts with the ladies, in honor of BCCD celebrating its 70th Anniversary this year. Misty spoke of how passionate President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was about conserving our natural resources. His “New Deal” included the Soil Conservation Act. In 1937 he wrote to each state Governor recommending legislation allowing local landowners to form conservation districts. Colorado passed the Colorado Soil Conservation Act on May 6, 1937, creating “special district” status for conservation districts (just like school and hospital districts). Baca County established the first two conservation districts in the state on March 5, 1938: the Western Baca County Soil Erosion District and the Southeast Soil Erosion District. In 1941 Two Buttes Soil Erosion District was created. In 1982 Colorado provided incentives for the 300 conservation districts in the state to consolidate, and hence the three Baca County districts became the Baca County Conservation District we have today. Misty also explained that conservation districts historically provided technical assistance with soil erosion issues, but today we help landowners with all natural resource issues: water quantity, air quality, carbon sequestration, grazing management, etc. Misty detailed the community projects BCCD has been involved with over the past year: education at area schools, helping landowners plant trees, an on-farm wind generation feasibility study, agriculture producer informational meetings, and providing technical assistance on NRCS contracts. Misty concluded the presentation with the BCCD Weed Management Program. The DAR ladies saw detailed slides on the invasive species BCCD located and treated in the county in 2007. | 
The Mountain Plover, a species of high conservation concern in Colorado, nests in shortgrass prairie that is fairly flat. Due to their dependence on bare ground, they are often attracted to cultivated land. Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) biologists survey fields and mark nests, so the nests can be avoided during cultivation. Through voluntary landowner efforts and assistance from organizations, including the Baca County Conservation District, the program has been highly successful. In 2007, 112 eastern Colorado landowners participated in the program (14 in Baca County). More than 130,000 acres of cultivated land were enrolled in 15 counties, including 17,227 acres in Baca. Of 105 nests marked by RMBO biologists, 11 were in Baca County. To learn more about the project, call Ross Lock at the RMBO, 719-563-0959. 
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