Celebrate 25 Years of Canyons of the Ancients 🌄
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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 spring unfolds across Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, I’m reminded of how lucky we are to care for such a remarkable place. Wildflowers are blooming, birdsong fills the air, and with longer days come more opportunities for people to connect with the land—and with one another.
We have an exciting season ahead! I hope you’ll join us in celebrating 25 years of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument with a variety of special events this June:
June 13:Enjoy an evening of live jazz music with Chantil Dukart,award winning pianist and vocalist,at the Visitor Center, blending rhythm, landscape, and culture.
June 19:Join us for Changing Times with Ed Kabotie, a Tewa artist, musician, and educator from Khap'o Owinge (Santa Clara Pueblo). Through stories and song, Ed shares lessons of Puebloan resilience to help navigate today’s world.
We’re excited to share the new Plants of Canyons of the Ancientsfield guide—a lovingly crafted resource to help you identify native plants found throughout the Monument and surrounding areas. Written by a dedicated volunteer and generously funded by the LOR Foundation, this guide is a tribute to the beauty and diversity of the local landscape.
As the official nonprofit partner of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance relies on community support to fund everything from our Cultural Site Stewardship Program—which monitors over 100 archaeological sites annually—to our educational and cultural programming, which brings Indigenous knowledge, history, and land connection to life.
This summer, we invite you to invest in the future of this incredible place. Whether it’s $25 in honor of the Monument’s 25th anniversary or a recurring gift to keep our programs strong year-round, every donation helps protect this landscape and share its stories with generations to come.
Thank you for being a part of our community of stewards, learners, and advocates.
With gratitude and excitement,
Markleigh Swanson Executive Director Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance
Well, spring has sprung with a recent mixture of sun, warmth, rain, wind, and cold. Yep, we've had some pretty typical spring weather. A big part of spring is celebrating Earth Day. We had a great highway cleanup last month for our 2025 Earth Day event. We worked on County Road G from Sand Canyon, west, towards the Utah State line. Thank you to all of you who came out and helped.
And speaking of help, we want to expand our Board of Directors. Do you have time to attend twelve meetings a year and participate in some of the events? We’re hopeful that 2-3 more people with diverse backgrounds and interests can strengthen the Board. We specifically need the help of someone who has good "secretarial type" skills. Markleigh, our executive director, takes care of most of the administrative tasks for the organization. However, we need someone who can document notes during our board meetings, and perhaps can help with some monthly tasks.
If you have a calling to go beyond your existing volunteering for SCCA, and help out the Board, please get in touch with myself, other Board members, or Markleigh.
Thank you for your support, Don Hoffheins SCCA Board Chair
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!
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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 March 1 and March 31, 2025.
We appreciate your support!
Jean Berlowitz Chris Burkett Adriana Kajon Gerard Mundo Mark Nelson David Rightley Lisa Spangler
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 March 1, 2025 and March 31, 2025. Corporate support and grants listed in this newsletter were given between March 1, 2024 and March 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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