Montezuma School to Farm officials are asking the community to help identify the vandals that uprooted the orchard overnight on Sunday, May 24.
The incident occurred between 2:30 p.m. on Sunday and 7:30 a.m. on Monday. All but about 10 of the orchard’s 75 trees have a fair chance of survival, said farm director Sarah Syverson.
“Please let us know if you have any information regarding who or whom damaged this orchard,” Syverson said.
Syverson estimated that the damages could total more than $10,000, depending on how many trees survive. She added that many of the trees were priceless, considering they were grafted from a historic Montezuma County orchard that is dying.
“It was a great sadness to see such destructive behavior, and we can only think that it comes from those that have more destructive behavior towards themselves,” said Syverson.
Syverson and others worked to replant most of the uprooted trees on Monday.
As far as possible leads to identify the culprits, Syverson said authorities were reviewing surveillance footage captured by four nearby security cameras.
“We don’t necessarily want to punish them, but we want them to understand what they have destroyed,” said Syverson.
Syverson explained that she has previously worked with vandals that damaged school gardens in Mancos and Dolores, and those students now work as guardians and stewards of those food plots.
The orchard sprouted last fall when students helped plant 50 apple trees grafted from nearly 100-year-old stock. The orchard was expanded in late March when 25 nectarines, peach, plum, pear, pluot (cross between plum and apricot) and pluerry (cross between plum and cherry) trees were planted.
When fully mature, the 75-tree orchard was expected to produce nearly 40,000 pounds of heirloom fruit annually.
Those with information about the vandalism are urged to call either the Cortez Police Department or Sarah Syverson at (970) 903-8831.
Monetary donations to rebuild the orchard or to offer a reward for information leading to the suspect(s) apprehension should be sent to the Mancos Conservation District, P.O. Box 694, Mancos, Colo., 81328.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com