The list of Mancos organizations that Betsy Harrison has championed is lengthy.
On Feb. 11, the community gathered to recognize her work on the Mancos Common Press, Mancos Valley Resources, Mancos Valley Chamber of Commerce, Mt. Lookout Grange, Mancos School of the West, Mancos Arts Council and the Mancos Valley Creative District, among others.
“I did it because I love this community, and it’s easy to get involved and lend a hand and make something happen,” Harrison said about her extensive community service.
Patricia Burk, Harrison’s longtime and collaborator on many projects attributed he effectiveness to her law education.
“Betsy has a way of knowing what a community is about and where a community’s needs are,” Burk said.
The two met because an illegal asphalt plant was operating in the Mancos Valley and making Burk’s house unlivable.
“I went to her and I said we’ve got to fight this thing,” Harrison said.
The two sued the Montezuma County Commission and won.
They have been working on causes they believe in ever since. One of their high-profile successes has been the Mt. Lookout Grange, which they revived together after years in dormancy. It has since grown to about 70 members.
Harrison said she has a particular passion for the Mancos Common Press project, which aims to the revive the press and use it for graphic arts.
The building that housed The Mancos Times newspaper has been donated to the project and the group held a kickstarter fundraiser last summer to do repairs on the back of the building.
Work will continue on the press this summer.
She is also in the process of starting up a new organization called the Mancos Food Share to help provide local food to those who are food insecure.
mshinn@durangoherald.com