OLT - Items filtered by date: April 2019

Bird & Photography Workshop 2019 poster

The songbirds are starting to arrive at Valley View Hot Springs and Everson Ranch! If you love birds and are interested in photography, don't miss this rare opportunity to spend some time with Bird Photographer Dr. Daniel Flemming. We have three workshops planned!

Valley View Hot Springs

  • Saturday, May 18th, 6 am to 8 am; Meet at the Welcome Center (an overnight pass for Friday May 17th is required because of early start time)
  • Sunday, May 19th, 7:30 am to 9:30 am; Meet at the Welcome Center (an overnight pass for Saturday May 18th is required because of early start time)

Everson Ranch

  • Saturday, May 18th, 4 pm to 6 pm. Meet at the Everson Ranch near the bathhouse. Valley View Hot Springs passes are not required to participate in the this workshop

What to Bring

You will be doing short hikes, so wear good walking shoes, sunblock and a hat. Bring a water bottle & snacks. Binoculars, cameras with long lenses or zoom are very helpful! Please pre-register at the Welcome Center so we know how many folks to expect! There is no charge for these workshops.

Tuesday, 14 May 2019 18:38

Summer at the Ranch

Summer 2019 Events at Everson Ranch

Ever wondered where all the water goes after you soak in it at the hot springs? Well, this is the summer you can see for yourself! The Everson Ranch, part of the Orient Land Trust, is a working ranch just a few miles downhill from Valley View and it is here that we can show you.

Summer is the best time of year for visiting and experiencing life on the ranch and we are excited to announce our plans for 2019!

Thanks go out to the Board of Directors, staff, and dedicated volunteers who have been brilliant in developing the perfect mix of fun ranch activities and hands on experiential learning! Exploring Orient Land Trust now engages all five senses with the following activities.

Ranch Tours

Guests of Orient Land Trust are welcome to visit the ranch, farm animals, observe wildlife, and walk to the reservoir. Guided tours are offered daily 10am-2pm. So on your next visit to the hot springs, dry off for a bit and see what the ranch is all about!

Ranch Camping

Experience the feel of being on a working ranch with an overnight visit! Camping is now an option that includes a nice grassy tent spot or easy pull in vehicle site. Camping also includes the use of the (straw bale) bath/kitchen house. And best of all, it's clothing optional! Campers pay a facilities use fee of $15 per person.

Bird Watching & Photography Workshop

Long time land trust member, Dr. Daniel Fleming, will be at the ranch of May 18, 4-6pm, as part of his amazing Bird watching & Photography workshop that he offers at no cost. Participants will want to wear good walking shoes and bring water bottle, hat, and binoculars. Long lense or zoom cameras are helpful but not required to enjoy this workshop.

Everson Ranch Market & Grill

Memorial Day Weekend will kick off this season's Everson Ranch Market & Grill. This first Market Saturday, May 25, will feature a Plein Air Painting workshop with Salida artist, Carl Ortman. He will work with guests from 10am to 1pm and asks that guests bring their own easel and supplies.

The Market & Grill events will be held every Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm. A simple menu of our fresh farm foods will be offered and will vary depending on what we have on hand. There will be juicy meat dishes from the barbeque, grilled vegetables, fresh eggs, garden salads and smoothies made to order. Note: The Market and Grill will be unavailable for the month of July. July is the month we have the Science Camps for children, quarterly Board of Directors meeting, and Member Appreciation Weekend. We will continue to schedule Volunteers working in the garden for the month.

Mid-September will wrap up the season with our annual Harvest Celebration TBA

New this year!

Free Garden Classes with Sabine

New faces at the ranch this summer are Sabine Borchers, garden manager, and her assistant, Macon Terry. Sabine can guide you through a short meditation which will open your senses to set the tone for your experience in the garden. So that when you visit or volunteer even just a few hours you walk away inspired. She can direct you to different tasks in the garden as a learning experience or just for relaxation. She will be so grateful for busy hands wanting to help with high altitude gardening. Once upon a time she was a psychotherapist in a hospital where she also provided stress management. According to her picking spinach is definitely a form to manage stress. Come try it out. Sabine is aiming to take Wednesdays and Thursdays off. Check with staff if you want to take advantage of her inspiration on those days.

Front Porch Pickin' and Grinnin'

The idea here is to create a fun place for musicians to connect with other players, hone skills and make friends! We hope to attract musicians with diverse backgrounds to showcase their own style. Come and bring your instruments, singing voices or just your listening ear. The jam sessions will take place during the Market & Grill and begins when the first player starts!

Sheep Series with Amber

Amber Shook moved to the San Luis Valley 37 years ago. Newly married to Jeff, their dream of homesteading began. Her passion for fiber has been cause for owning angora bunnies, many types of sheep, and llamas. Harvesting wool, cleaning, spinning, dyeing, weaving and felting have been her focus. Whether you are interested in owning one fuzzy friend, or a flock of woollies, Amber's introduction to animal fibers will answer your questions.

Sheep Series (and other critters)

1) June 8 2-3:30 Raising Wool Producing Animals
 Rabbits, Sheep, Llama, Alpaca, Goat, Yak, Camel, Dog

2) July Sheep Shearing (all ages)
 Culling, butchering, shearing, and processing fiber

3) August 10, 2-2:30 Fiber Use
 Home, sale, natural/dyeing, spun, knit, crochet, felt

Everson Ranch will be closed for private events July 1 – August 11. Volunteers in the garden can still schedule. We appreciate your help!

John Eiseman at the BBQ - Cherrye Williams Everson Ranch Market Goods - Cherrye Williams Baby Lambs - Cherrye Williams

Tuesday, 14 May 2019 18:37

Update on the Drinking Water

You will notice some postings about the drinking water. Orient Land Trust has revised our application for pre-treatment of the drinking water. We were directed by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to install filters at the beginning of each of our five treatment systems. They required that those be installed by the end of March. We are still waiting for approval of our revised application and have not installed those filters. Because we missed that deadline, we are required to post a letter informing you, the guest, that this has not been done. We have complied and the letter we posted has been written with language specified by the state and reviewed by the state. This is not an emergency, the water is disinfected and tested daily. We hope to have approval of our pre-treatment components soon and we will be buying and installing the necessary additions to the drinking water systems. Thank you for your patience.

Every year a devoted group of hardworking volunteers participate in our annual Weed Pull! Volunteers arrive on Tuesday, June 4th to set up camp and enjoy a day of relaxation at Valley View Hot Springs. Workshop begins early on Wednesday, June 5th, meeting at 8 am in front of the main bath house. Volunteers are trained on what invasive weeds we are targeting (Houndstongue, Bull Thistle, and Horehound) and how to mitigate them; then work in teams until noon. The same schedule applies for Thursday, June 6th. Volunteers have the rest of the afternoon to enjoy the springs before departing. Overnight admission passes for the springs and a tent site are included for Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

We are still looking for 8 more volunteers! Email or call 719-256-4315 and ask for Rosie to get signed up.

 - Robin Rosenberg  - Robin Rosenberg Volunteers Pulling Weeds - Robin Rosenberg

For the education, enjoyment, and well-being of current and future generations, Orient Land Trust: 
promotes a positive clothing-optional experience at all properties including Valley View Hot Springs, Orient Mine and Everson Ranch;
preserves the viewshed, including land acquisition; 
protects natural, wild, agricultural, and historic resources, in the northern San Luis Valley.