The Geer Park Trail Series donated $685 to the Montezuma Land Conservancy this week.
The series was started this spring by Megan Flesch and Michael Grajeda of Mancos, and featured 5K, 5-mile and 10K races at Geer Park. Flesch said that after speaking with the Conservancy, the partnership seemed like a perfect fit, leading the series to donate funds to MLC to promote trails and public land usage in the county.
Jon Leibowitz, MLC executive director, said that while MLC is primarily an agricultural land trust, as an organization, it believes it is important to diversify the types of open spaces that it protects.
“We’re really interested in working with the biking community and hiking community to protect more land that has a public access component,” said Leibowitz. “And we’re hoping that it compliments the farm and ranch protection that we’ve always done and will continue.”
MLC, Keith Evans and the City of Cortez put on the Very Scary Time Trial bike race in October at Geer Park and created the Public Access Fund, where proceeds from the Geer Park Trail Series and Very Scary Time Trial will go to be used for projects related to public access trails and hiking and biking.
Flesch said that they are planning to have another series of races next spring, although they may hold them earlier than this season to beat the heat. She also said there is a chance they put together a race or two this fall, but it will depend on scheduling.
Evans, Flesch and Leibowitz are also discussing a way to combine the trail series and Very Scary Time Trial, with plans to hold another time trial this year around Halloween.
“We don’t have an expectation on how much funds will be raised every year,” said Leibowitz. “What we’re hoping is that in the long term, between these two events, we will build up a bit of a piggy bank to apply towards open space projects that have a public access component.”