Good Example of a Narrative/Project Summary:
Dolores River Valley Conservation Easement. A perpetual conservation easement will be acquired by the Montezuma Land Conservancy on 100 acres of the Truelsen Ranch. This will be the final phase of protecting this 416-acre ranch, which is the largest privately held parcel in the Dolores Valley. The property is bisected by the San Juan Skyway and is surrounded almost completely by the San Juan National Forest. The ranch shares more than four miles of boundary with public lands (See Map Attachment 2). From the San Juan Skyway, travelers enjoy the property's splendid mosaic of mountain meadows, summer livestock pasture, riparian forests, wetlands, beaver ponds, aspen and mixed coniferous forests and red sandstone outcrops. The property is bisected by the San Juan Skyway and 2.25 miles of the Dolores River and Rio Lado Creek (See Photos Attachment 3). Public forest access crosses the property at Roaring Fork Road, and the Rio Lado and Schoolhouse Trailheads. The property is an integral component of the upper Dolores River Valley viewshed, which is seriously threatened by increasing land development pressures. This part of the county is unzoned.
The owner of this property has agreed to this additional conservation easement on his ranch. In order to execute the easement, the following major elements will be implemented: 1) preparing the baseline documentation of conservation values upon which the easement will be based and monitored for stewardship; 2) drafting and negotiating the conservation easement; 3) preparing the environmental assessment; 4) preparing the title work; 5) appraising the property to determine the value of the easement; 6) legal review of all transaction documents; 7) acquiring the easement and recording such in the county real estate records.
Additional Resource Protection Activities. The conservation easement on the aforementioned property is one of seven "San Juan Skyway Initiative" projects that have just been awarded $4.3 million (see Attachment 1). However, these funds must be matched with an additional $6 million, which together will secure conservation easements on seven highly scenic ranches with excellent riparian and wildlife resources.
Considerable work remains and this request will help finance ongoing efforts to raise funds and continue the Skyway Coalition's legacy of protecting nationally significant resources.
This is a good example because it:
- Establishes a clear relationship to the byway
- Describes the project and local area sufficiently for those that are unfamiliar with the byway
- Uses a numbered list to detail key tasks identified in the Work Plan and supported in the Budget/Cost Breakdown
- References specific attachments that support the narrative, but does not rely on the attachments to summarize the project, nor does it reference attachments that are unrelated or unnecessary to describe the project.
- Does not use overly descriptive or promotional language
- Information included is consistent with the information provided in the Budget, Work Plan and Attachments
- Discusses the relationship of the project to a larger initiative which is in keeping with the byway's corridor management plan which emphasizes the protection of high priority resources
- Is simple and succinct
