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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.
Dear Friends,
As we move forward in 2025, our public lands—and those who work tirelessly to protect them—face an unprecedented crisis. Recent federal budget cuts and workforce reductions have placed immense strain on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its partners, including Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance (SCCA). Now, more than ever, our collective efforts are essential to ensuring that Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) remains protected and cherished for generations to come.
The landscape of federal conservation is shifting rapidly. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the direction of the current administration, has enacted sweeping job cuts across agencies, including the BLM. Employees are grappling with uncertainty—buyouts and reductions are leaving critical positions unfilled, creating gaps in land management, cultural resource protection, and wildfire response. Understaffing means heavier workloads for those who remain, and the effects of these reductions ripple outward, impacting local communities, conservation groups, and public lands themselves.
For organizations like SCCA, these challenges reinforce the importance of our work. Our efforts do not replace the work performed by federal employees, but rather supplements what they do. We provide crucial volunteer support, educational outreach, and stewardship programs that help bridge gaps where staffing and funding shortfalls create obstacles. Our Cultural Site Stewardship Program continues to monitor and help protect fragile archaeological sites, while our recreation and visitor services initiatives ensure that CANM remains accessible, informative, and well-maintained despite dwindling federal resources.
However, we cannot do this alone. Your generosity—whether through donations, volunteer hours, or advocacy—helps ensure that CANM and its irreplaceable cultural and natural resources remain safeguarded.
If you value the work we do, please consider making a donation today. Your support helps us continue our stewardship programs, expand educational initiatives, and stand alongside the BLM as an unwavering partner in protecting these lands. Now is the time to come together, to advocate, and to act.
Thank you for being a part of this vital mission. Together, we can ensure that Canyons of the Ancients and all public lands remain protected, respected, and thriving.
With gratitude,
Markleigh Swanson Executive Director Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance
Short February is almost done. As we look towards the upcoming months, a variety of holidays, events, and yes, even tax season come to mind.
For Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance we are always looking to the future. As a nonprofit organization we aren’t looking at tax season so much, but definitely are looking at the best ways to have the financial capability to keep our excellent staff employed, and be able to keep up our dedication to preserving, protecting, and interpreting the cultural and natural resources of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Funding is the key to make achieving our mission possible. As you look towards tax season, I’d ask you to consider ways to ease your current and long-term tax liabilities, as well as helping SCCA.
Leave a Legacy - Give a Bequest
In addition to your annual giving, which typically can help to lessen your tax burden, you can support SCCA financially in the future. By making a bequest, like naming SCCA in your will, you could also reduce tax obligations in the future.
I don’t claim to have any expertise in taxes or wills, so I’ll lead with, talk with a tax or investment consultant to help you figure out what might be best for you. However, to get you thinking about it, there are several ways to donate to Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance in your will:
Name SCCA as the primary beneficiary for a specific gift, like a certain amount of money or stock.
Allocate a percentage of your total estate to SCCA.
Designate SCCA as your life insurance beneficiary.
Designate SCCA as a beneficiary for your retirement accounts.
Create a charitable lead or charitable remainder trust.
By making charitable donations in your will, you can reduce your Inheritance Tax bill. It can also be used to reduce income tax arising on or after your death.
Consider making a lasting impact on the preservation of the Canyons of the Ancients by including Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance in your will or estate planning. Your bequest, whether large or small, will help protect these treasured landscapes and their cultural heritage for future generations.
If you haven’t created a will or are thinking of updating it, now is a great time to consult with your attorney or financial advisor to ensure your wishes are clearly expressed.
If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to reach out.
Follow the directions on the page and select Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance either by name or use this code, WM546;
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Help Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance Raise Much-Needed Funds for free!
Every time you shop at any of the 1,800+ online stores in the iGive network, a portion of the money you spend benefits Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance. It’s a free service, and you’ll never pay more when you reach a store through iGive. To get started, just create your free iGive account.
Looking for another way to give? Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance is proud to partner with ShopRaise. From groceries and apparel to technology and travel – a percentage of almost everything you buy using the ShopRaise app goes to support our cause. Click to download and start supporting us with every purchase: https://ShopRaise.com/support/swcocanyons
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 January 1 and January 31, 2025.
We appreciate your support!
Anonymous Read Brugger Keith Burt Colorado Creative Industries Russel Davies-Davies Charitable Trust of Fidelity Charitable Alexander Dawson El Pomar Foundation Empire Electric Association, Inc. Racheal Fuller Seth Hinz Amy Jacobs Karen Kinnear Gail Lovell James Mischke John Norton Veronica Oldland Bruce and Sharlene Short Jim Skvorc Kim Sturm James & Lillian Wakeley Wendy Watkins
Deep Gratitude to our Sustaining Members
Thank you for providing SCCA with a steady stream of support!
Steve Barker Melissa Blackwell Ken Boucher Caroline Brown & Tom Ferrell Chris & Lou Burkett Tris & Bruce Downer Terri Helm Erik Hendrickson Don & Nancy Hoffheins Diane McBride Vincent Miller Gregory Munson Marcie Ryan Cynthia Sadler Michael Stillman Markleigh Swanson Carol Taylor & Cliff Giffen John Thyfault David & KD Umbarger
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 January 1, 2025 and January 31, 2025. Corporate support and grants listed in this newsletter were given between January 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025. 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.
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