Press Release
National Trust for Historic Preservation Urges Citizens to Help Preserve Telluride Valley Floor
Washington, D.C. (April 11, 2007) —With a May 14, 2007 deadline looming to raise the final $2.4 million, out of the $50 million needed to purchase 550 acres of the Telluride Valley Floor, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is encouraging private citizens to help save this stunning natural landscape by making a financial contribution.
In 2001 the National Trust listed the Telluride Valley Floor on its list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places due to sprawl and proposed development that was threatening the region's historic context and altering one of the Rocky Mountains' last intact mining towns. In June of 2002, Telluride voters approved a plan allowing the town to acquire—through condemnation if necessary—550 acres of the Valley Floor for use as public open space, saving it from further development. When negotiations between the town and the developer to agree on a purchase price for the Valley Floor failed in the fall of 2003, the residents of Telluride voted to pursue condemnation. Earlier this year, a court established $50 million as the fair market value of this land. Town bonds and revenues will provide $25.5 million of that price, leaving $24.5 million to be raised from private donations.
Through a grassroots fundraising campaign—a campaign that has seen an outpouring of support from hundreds of people in Colorado and all across the country—the town has successfully raised $22.1 million, leaving $2.4 million still to be raised before the court-imposed deadline of May 14, 2007.
Richard Moe, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, urged the public to take action to save this natural treasure.
"The National Trust recently contributed $10,000 towards the town's efforts to purchase the land, and we are hopeful others will lend their support to help the town reach their goal by the May 14 deadline," National Trust president Richard Moe said. "The Telluride Valley Floor remains much as it did in the mining era, and we believe that developing the valley would jeopardize this irreplaceable piece of the American West. A contribution of any amount will help to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy this pristine landscape."
Donations can be made by visiting the National Trust web site at http://www.nationaltrust.org/telluride. Contributions can also be made to Valley Floor Preservation Partners, PO Box 202, Telluride, Colo., 81435. For more information, visit www.valleyfloor.org, or call 970-728-8256.