Western Slope Conservation Center

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Western Slope Conservation Center We build an informed community to protect and enhance the lands and waters of the Western Slope

https://linktr.ee/westernslopecenter

Partnering with the Bureau of Land Management and the Nature Connection, you are invited to join the Western Slope Conse...
10/15/2026

Partnering with the Bureau of Land Management and the Nature Connection, you are invited to join the Western Slope Conservation Center for a trailhead community social at Jumbo Mountain on Friday, October 23, from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.

We’ll be set up at the trailhead located at the end of Pan American Avenue; parking is available a short walk away in Apple Valley Park.

This is an opportunity to get your questions answered by the BLM – the federal agency that manages Jumbo Mountain, learn about upcoming seasonal wildlife closures on the trails, obtain information on Jumbo trail ambassadorships, and take a short, guided hike with trail crew representatives from the Nature Connection to view the newly upgraded boardwalks.

It’s a beautiful time of year to be adventuring on the Jumbo Mountain trails. We hope you’ll be able to join us to learn about and explore Paonia’s backyard trail system!

10/14/2026

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, more than 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Inactive or closed coal mines continue to leak methane long after operations have ceased.

Join WSCC and Chris Caskey on Saturday, October 17, for a rare and unique opportunity to "hike" and visit the Bowie No. 1 mine located just northeast of Paonia. Final operations wrapped up at this mine site in the late 1990s, and now it is the focus of an innovative methane capture and destruction system.

To register for this Mike's Hike, visit the link in our bio. We hope to see you there!

It's raining in the valleys and snowing in the high country—has the long-anticipated "Super El Niño" arrived?! 💧⛄Join us...
10/14/2026

It's raining in the valleys and snowing in the high country—has the long-anticipated "Super El Niño" arrived?! 💧⛄

Join us tomorrow—Thursday, October 15—at 7:00 PM, for a FREE community presentation by Colorado assistant state climatologist Peter Goble at the Paradise Theater in Paonia to learn what a "Super El Niño" is and how it may affect our upcoming winter.

Doors open at 6:30; we hope to see you there!

Come volunteer with us on Thursday, October 22, and/or Friday, October 23, for river stewardship days! We'll be planting...
10/14/2026

Come volunteer with us on Thursday, October 22, and/or Friday, October 23, for river stewardship days!

We'll be planting native trees and shrubs on restoration projects in our watershed. Click the link in our bio to access the interest form, or email [email protected] directly.

Thank you to the eight brave hikers who joined us for our Mike's Hike on Terror Trail today, Indigenous Peoples' Day. It...
10/12/2026

Thank you to the eight brave hikers who joined us for our Mike's Hike on Terror Trail today, Indigenous Peoples' Day. It was a wet start with driving rain and wind, but the clouds parted, revealing spectacular gold and burnt orange fall colors in the mountains and valleys as far as the eye could see. 🍂

The group leader, Betsy, honored Indigenous Peoples' Day by sharing Native American historical accounts from Indigenous storytellers. We are grateful to walk these wild lands, the traditional homeland of the Ute people since time immemorial.

Located in the Electric Mountain Roadless Area, the group also discussed the importance of the Colorado Roadless Rule and how these lands are protected under this rule and would be further protected under the proposed Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act legislation. 🏔

We have just a few remaining Mike's Hikes in 2026. To learn more or to register for a hike, visit the link in our bio.

👏Thank you, Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper, for introducing the Stop Orphaned Wells Act! Introduced on October 2, the bil...
10/12/2026

👏Thank you, Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper, for introducing the Stop Orphaned Wells Act! Introduced on October 2, the bill seeks to stop oil and gas companies from leaving behind orphaned wells on our shared public lands that taxpayers must then pay to clean up.

Currently, there there are more than 140,000 documented orphaned wells across the country and as many as 740,000 undocumented wells that may be orphaned.

Not only are orphaned wells costly to reclaim, they pollute groundwater 💧, jeopardize local public health 🚑, and threaten critical wildlife habitat 🦌, grazing lands 🐄, outdoor recreation sites 🎣, and sacred cultural resources 🏛.

The bill is about basic accountability. Make sure and tell our Colorado senators "thank you" for introducing this commonsense piece of legislation.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Cedaredge Applefest 🍎 last weekend!It was a joy connecting with so...
10/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Cedaredge Applefest 🍎 last weekend!

It was a joy connecting with so many new and familiar faces and sharing our work with the visitors and locals of the Surface Creek Valley. 💧🏔 🌲

A special thanks to those that signed up for our newsletter and/or became a member! Three names were drawn from this group as winners of WSCC merchandise 👕

If you missed out on this opportunity, but would like to stay in touch, make sure and click on the link in our bio to sign up to receive our once-monthly newsletter. 💻

Thanks again to the Town of Cedaredge for putting on this extraordinary event!

The people have spoken once again! A new poll of Colorado's Third Congressional District finds voters across western and...
10/08/2026

The people have spoken once again!

A new poll of Colorado's Third Congressional District finds voters across western and southern Colorado standing firmly against efforts to sell off America's public lands, with support for conservation across party lines by wide margins.

Specifically:
✅ 94% support conserving public lands
✅ 92% support existing national monument designations
✅ 91% oppose selling federal lands to private owners
✅ 84% support the GORP Act

💪🏽Make your (powerful) voices heard and support public lands at the ballot box this November.

Explore a Colorado Roadless Area!Join us on Indigenous Peoples' Day—Monday, October 12—for a Mike’s Hike on Terror Trail...
10/07/2026

Explore a Colorado Roadless Area!

Join us on Indigenous Peoples' Day—Monday, October 12—for a Mike’s Hike on Terror Trail in the Electric Mountain Colorado Roadless Area, a protected 17,900-acre landscape located within the GMUG National Forest.

This moderate, four-mile hike is an opportunity to learn about the Colorado Roadless Rule and how it protects our nearly 4.2 million acres of roadless areas statewide, even if the national Roadless Rule is rescinded. Additionally, Electric Mountain is one of three Colorado roadless areas that will be protected by no-surface occupancy restrictions, if and when the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection (GORP) Act passes.

Act fast, only two spots remain for this hike. To learn more or to register, visit the link in our bio. We hope to see you on the trail!

Address

204 Poplar Avenue
Paonia, CO
81428

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19705275307

Website

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