Dear Friends of Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance,
As we close out another incredible year, I want to take a moment to celebrate all that we’ve accomplished together. Thanks to your unwavering support, Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance (SCCA) has continued to help protect the cultural and natural heritage of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument while fostering meaningful connections within our community.
This year has been filled with milestones, each made possible because of you:
- Stewardship Achievements: Over 60 volunteers in our Cultural Site Stewardship Program monitored more than 100 cultural sites, safeguarding invaluable heritage for future generations.
- Community Engagement: We hosted cultural demonstrations, educational lectures, and the Four Corners Indigenous Art Market, spotlighting the vibrant traditions of traditionally associated Indigenous communities.
- Dark Sky Initiatives: Together with the Bureau of Land Management, we made significant progress toward applying for International Dark Sky Park Certification for Canyons of the Ancients, offering programs that connected participants to the awe-inspiring night sky.
- Volunteering Success: From roadside cleanups to educating visitors, our volunteers contributed hundreds of hours, giving back to the land and community we all cherish.
Your generosity fuels our work, enabling us to protect history, inspire discovery, and create opportunities for learning and stewardship.
As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited to expand these programs and take on new challenges, but we can’t do it without you. If you haven’t yet made a year-end gift, I invite you to join us in supporting Canyons of the Ancients. Your contribution ensures that we can continue to preserve this incredible landscape for generations to come.
On behalf of the SCCA board, staff, and volunteers, thank you for being part of our mission. Together, we are making a difference in Southwest Colorado and beyond.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a wonderful New Year!
Warm regards,
Markleigh Swanson
Executive Director
Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance
P.S. There’s still time to make your year-end gift count for 2024! Donations received by December 31 are tax-deductible and will directly support our work in the coming year.
Note from the Board Chair
December 2024
However you celebrate this time of year, I hope great things came your way. I feel blessed for what I have and what I am able to do for the community. I know that not all is good for each of you, and all is not good in the world right now, but we can each work to improve whatever we can and try to improve the lives of whomever we interact with.
Signing off for the Year
For our little piece of the world here in southwest Colorado I am pleased to be a part of a group helping to make people a little more aware of the treasures that Canyons of the Ancients National Monument holds for us. I am excited to look back on the accomplishments of the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance in 2024 and the programs and opportunities that were available. I so appreciate the dedication and skills of Markleigh Swanson, our Executive director and Mark Nelson, our Cultural Site Steward Program manager. For each of you, I want to also express my appreciation for the efforts that you made to volunteer, donate, and just be a part of the experience.
Board Member Introduction
As we close out the year, I want to introduce one more Board member, Ulysses Reid. Ulysses currently works for his tribe, the Pueblo of Zia, in the tribal historic preservation office. Rejoining in 2021 through this program, he works with Federal and State agencies and local governments in carrying out historic preservation responsibilities. Currently, he is collaborating with collection staff at the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Bureau of Land Management on the care of archaeological artifacts. Through this connection, he volunteered to be part of the SCCA Board.
His current experience with other boards includes the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Indian Advisory Board, the New Mexico Historic Record Advisory Board in Santa Fe New Mexico, and the Authentic Native Arts Association that sponsors a native art fair in Bernalillo New Mexico.
Ulysses enjoys spending time with his family, participating in cultural Pueblo Activities, and doing his art in Black and White Zia pottery, flint knapping, farming and ranching.
We are pleased to have Ulysses as part of our Board of Directors, and look forward to his input based on his interests, skills and experience.
Best regards,
Don Hoffheins
Board Chair, Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance |
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