COBirders, The Colorado Division of Wildlife announced the winner of their 2008 Landowner of the Year Award. This year's winners were Duke and Janet Phillips, the family who run the ranch. Although Chico Basin Ranch is the property of Colorado State Land Board, the Phillips and their staff won the award because of their land stewardship practices. According to the DOW Insider:
"The Phillips family and the staff at the Chico Basin Ranch exemplify the highest degree of land stewardship," said Ken Morgan, Division of Wildlife Private Lands Coordinator. "Their regard for the ecosystem, their appreciation and respect for wildlife and their desire to share these values with others makes them the perfect recipient for this award." "In addition, the Chico Basin also has become one of the most popular and well-known bird watching sights in Colorado. The ranch is home to (318 have been recorded so far) over 300 bird species and is a featured destination on the Colorado Birding Trail." "The Phillips are active in monitoring the abundant wildlife resources on the ranch and have a history of allowing conservation agencies and organizations access to conduct wildlife surveys on their property. Since 2000, The Chico Basin has worked in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and the Division of Wildlife to operate a bird banding station, which for the past three seasons the Phillips have funded with capital from the ranch. " Even with the fee for birders, this is still by far my favorite birding spot in Colorado. On a fall or winter visit, you might not see any form of life other than birds, cattle, coyotes, prairie dogs, pronghorn, mule deer, and even rarely a badger, bobcat, or even an elk. Bill Maynard Colorado Springs ____________________________________________________________ Power up with a cell phone booster and never worry about weak signals again. Click now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw3K9LxJEIFkjWmuxIebKG1m9xF0PETuX6oRZCfKoT0NFiWu8/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
