Who's that blonde in blue jeans?

You may have seen her tromping around local farms and ranches and chatting with the owners. What could they possibly be discussing with such animation? The excitement comes from none other than Caitlin Hanagan, the District Conservation Technician for East Otero, Olney-Boone, and West Otero-Timpas Conservation Districts. She has been providing support, alongside the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), to local producers to help improve water, wildlife and soil conditions on their lands for 3 years.

Hanagan is enthusiastically assisting on a Cost-Share Grant from the state of Colorado which the Olney-Boone Conservation District has received to help prepare lands coming out of the Cropland Reserve Program (CRP) for proper grazing when needed. The grant also supports conservation practices such as fencing, stock water pipelines, watering facilities and the drilling of new wells. These programs were developed to help landowners conserve and protect natural resources on their land for the benefit of the whole community, now and for generations to come. They help encourage and enable producers to install practices that may or may not have immediate economic benefits but will protect and conserve precious water supplies, wildlife habitat, agricultural soil, and rural communities themselves. If you would like your own inspiring conversation with Caitlin about implementing conservation practices on your land, contact her at caitlin.hanagan@co.nacdnet.net or (719) 254-7672, Ext. 3.