Explore upcoming volunteer opportunities and events.
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Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance fosters awareness and appreciation of the landscape and cultural heritage of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument through collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management.
As 2024 gets into full swing, we are excited to invite you to be a part of upcoming volunteer opportunities and events that will unite our community and help us in our mission to foster awareness and appreciation of the landscape and cultural heritage of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
If you are keen on participating in volunteer opportunities, there are several ways you can get involved:
Night Sky Data Collection: Join us as one of 5 dedicated volunteers to gather monthly night sky data at the Monument during the new moons. Your contributions will enable us to apply for International Dark Sky Park certification!
Educational Programs: Share your passion and knowledge of the night sky by leading special programs on topics like night sky photography, stargazing with telescopes, and participating in our annual Star Party. Inspire others to appreciate the beauty of the cosmos.
Loss of the Night Citizen Scientist Project: This project is perfect for schools, families, and individuals. Support our conservation efforts while enjoying the stunning night views of our landscape. Use an app to collect data for CANM that will bolster our International Dark Sky Park application.
Trail Information Specialist Program: Become a Trail Information Specialist to educate visitors on BLM regulations, Visit with Respect ethics, Leave No Trace principles, and the importance of preserving our natural heritage. Your role will ensure that all trail users act responsibly and respectfully and help preserve cultural resources for future generations to enjoy!
Each of these volunteer opportunities offers a unique way to contribute to our community and environment. We look forward to having you join us in these meaningful endeavors! Scroll down for more info.
In other news, as we all start to get excited about warmer weather (or is that just me?), mark your calendars for the exciting events lined up for the coming months, from poetry nights to clean-up projects, wildflower hikes to the Four Corners Indigenous Art Market. You can find our 2024 calendar of events below. There's something for everyone so come out and help us celebrate the beauty of Canyons of the Ancients' landscape and heritage!
We'll also be hosting several cultural demonstrations and Four Corners Lecture Series events throughout the year so keep an eye out for more information about these exciting opportunities!
Thank you for being a part of our community and for your continued support in preserving the magic of Southwest Colorado.
Warm regards,
Markleigh Swanson, Executive Director Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance
Note from the Chair
February 2024
The Board and Staff have been very busy to start 2024. We are working very hard on fundraising so we can increase our programming and outreach for the monument and be a better partner with the Bureau of Land Management.
And speaking of the board, we are looking to expand our board and are working hard to bring on members from our native communities. We believe that board members from any of the 26 tribes and pueblos associated with the Monument can provide the entire board additional insight into the heritage of the Monument and increase our appreciation of today’s native cultures through the experience and talents of members of those communities.
If you or someone you know might be interested in joining the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance Board of Directors, please let us know by responding to this email.
Continuing the theme of introducing both our board of directors and the strategic plan completed last year, read on to learn a little about Dave Rightley and Strategy 2.
Board Member Highlight - Dave Rightley, Past Chair:
Dave has been on the board of Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance since 2018. He served in a variety of positions including as his title says, as the Chairman of the Board. Dave is one of the owners of Cross Canyon Engineering located in Cortez. He has technical understanding of the Empire Electric and Kinder-Morgan systems within and adjacent to CANM. Dave has hiked around Canyons of the Ancients National Monument for over 30 years and desires to maintain the cultural and scenic values of the outstanding National Monument here through public education and outreach.
Highlighting the 2023 Strategic Plan
Strategy 2. Build a Financially Resilient Organization with Strong Leadership
Implement a 3-year budget forecasting process to identify fundraising goals that can meet and augment program needs.
Improve fundraising through development of a fundraising plan that grows and diversifies revenues from grants, corporations, memberships, and donations, and pursues multi-year funding agreements.
Strengthen and grow the capacity of the Board of the Directors.
Increase diversity of the Board of Directors to better understand perspectives of the audiences SCCA is serving through programming.
Retain a stable staff by increasing opportunities for training and offering competitive compensation, all within an inclusive, professional environment of mutual respect and open communication.
The board and staff are actively working on each of the five items above so that we can better serve You, the Friends of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Follow the directions on the page and select Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance either by name or use this code, WM546;
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Thank you for supporting Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument!
Thank you for your support!*
Thank you to our members and supporters who donated between December 1 and December 31, 2023.
We appreciate your support!
Denis Boon Paul Bostrom Caroline Brown & Tom Ferrell Tamara Delaplane Susan Fischer Mary Gallagher Pamela Godbold Smith Bruce Harris Pamela Heaney Kathy Hettick Jeffrey Jahraus William Johnson Karen Kinnear Tom Kochanski Mary Beth Kuderik Jim Leidel John Lyle Scott McKenzie Susan Montgomery William Morris Donald Patrick Owens Sheila Payne Christopher Pierce Rhonda Polsfut Amala Posey-Monk Pat Rauscher Randy Riggs Jim Skvorc Strategic By Nature Gregory Welden Thurman Wilson Virginia Wolf
Deep Gratitude to our Sustaining Members
Thank you for providing SCCA with a steady stream of support!
Steve Barker Ken Boucher Chris Burkett Tris & Bruce Downer Sharon Edgar Greenhill Tom Ferrell & Caroline Brown Cynthia Gray Terri Helm Erik Hendrickson Don Hoffheins Diane McBride David Melanson Vincent Miller Gregory Munson Marcie Ryan Cynthia Sadler Michael Stillman Markleigh Swanson Carol Taylor & Cliff Giffen John Thyfault David Umbarger Richard Wheeler
Thank You to our current Corporate Sponsors and Grant Funders!
Sincere thanks to all our supporters!
*SCCA processed contributions from new and renewing annual and sustaining members and donors named in this newsletter between December 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023. Corporate support and grants listed in this newsletter were given between January 1, 2023 and February 1, 2024. Please accept our sincerest apologies if your name or company is not listed here or if we have not yet processed your donation.
Visit Canyons of the Ancients National Monument For more information about visiting CANM go to this link.