Yuma County Conservation District

10/23/2026

🎨 Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 YCCD Youth Poster Contest!

Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Idalia, Liberty and Wray schools, along with area homeschool students, created posters inspired by this year’s theme: “Soil. Where It All Begins.”

🌱 Overall Grand Champion
Sadie Andrews – Homeschool

🌱 Reserve Grand Champion
Cora Schafer – Wray

Homeschool – Fifth and Sixth Grades
🥇 Sadie Andrews
🥈 Bo Lenz
🥉 Aaron Stults

Liberty – Fifth and Sixth Grades
🥇 Juliana Smith
🥈 Kinzley Frank

Idalia – Fifth Grade
🥇 Daxton Moberly
🥈 Mateo Crossland
🥉 Ximena Garcia

Idalia – Sixth Grade
🥇 Danielle Vaughn
🥈 Emmett Soehner
🥉 Tamera Pfeiler

Wray – Sixth Grade
🥇 Cora Schafer
🥈 Yadier Arambula
🥉 Ledger Welp

Sadie and Cora will represent YCCD at the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts state poster competition in November. Local awards will be presented at the YCCD Annual Meeting in February 2027.

Thank you to every student, teacher and homeschool family who participated. We were impressed by the creativity and conservation messages included in this year’s posters!

📸 Pictured are the Overall Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion posters.

10/22/2026

Yuma County Conservation District is looking for a dependable, organized person to join our small team. This position helps keep the District office, finances, meetings, and public programs running smoothly. The ideal candidate enjoys varied work, pays close attention to detail, and is comfortable working with numbers, records, partner agencies, and the public.

For additional information please visit our website at: https://www.ycconservation.com/post/yuma-county-conservation-district-hiring-part-time-office-assistant

10/22/2026

🌾 Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Field Day – A Great Success!

The Yuma County Conservation District (YCCD) welcomed more than 60 participants to the Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Field Day on Tuesday, October 20, 2026!

The event brought together agricultural producers, landowners, conservation professionals, agency representatives, and project partners to explore innovative approaches to rangeland management, including adaptive grazing, virtual fencing technology, forage biomass monitoring, and livestock water infrastructure.

One of the highlights of the day was the opportunity to observe the differences between grazed and ungrazed areas. These firsthand observations provided valuable insight into the unique vegetation management challenges at Bonny and the potential for adaptive grazing to serve as an effective land management tool. Participants also had the opportunity to observe the cattle and learn about the practical application of virtual fencing technology.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in thoughtful discussions, asked questions, and shared valuable feedback about the opportunities and challenges of incorporating emerging technologies into conservation and livestock management.

YCCD extends its sincere appreciation to cattle cooperator Darrell Smith, whose dedication, time, and hands-on management have been instrumental in implementing this project.

We also extend our appreciation to Halter, Envu/RangeView, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Reclamation for their valuable partnerships and continued support.

This project has been made possible through the collaborative efforts and financial support of multiple partners, including the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts - CACD, the Mule Deer Foundation, and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Habitat Partnership Program.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of the Field Day!

The Bonny project is a great example of what can be accomplished when producers, conservation districts, agencies, and technology providers work together to explore practical, innovative solutions for managing our natural resources.

Yuma County Conservation District — Putting Conservation to Work!

10/09/2026

🐂🌾 COME SEE THE FUTURE OF GRAZING IN ACTION!

What happens when traditional ranching meets cutting-edge technology?

Join us for the Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Field Day and find out!

📅 Tuesday, October 20, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Bonny Reservoir – Wagon Wheel Campground Gazebo

Discover how innovative conservation partnerships are using:

🐂 Halter virtual fencing technology to manage cattle from a smartphone.

🌱 RangeView forage monitoring to make informed grazing decisions.

💧 Livestock water infrastructure to support grazing and habitat restoration.

🦌 Adaptive grazing to improve wildlife habitat and reduce wildfire fuel loads.

🍲 FREE CHUCKWAGON LUNCH prepared by John Schaffner!

Whether you're a rancher, landowner, conservation professional, or simply curious about the future of agriculture, we'd love to see you there!

📰 Want to learn more about the project?

Read the full story about how YCCD and our conservation partners are bringing innovative grazing technology to Bonny Reservoir!

👉 https://www.ycconservation.com/post/bonny-reservoir-field-day-to-showcase-innovative-grazing-technology-and-conservation-partnerships

✅ Ready to join us? Register here:

👉 https://www.ycconservation.com/events/bonny-reservoir-adaptive-grazing-field-day

Help us spread the word by sharing this post!

See conservation in action! Explore adaptive grazing, virtual fencing, forage monitoring, and habitat restoration at Bonny Reservoir.

10/09/2026

🌾 Celebrate 150 Years of Colorado Agriculture with Us! 🚜📖

Join the Wray Museum and Yuma County Conservation District on Thursday, October 29, for The Centennial Harvest!

🛍️ 3–5 PM: Yuma County Vendor Showcase featuring local producers, businesses, and products.

📖 5 PM: Setting Colorado's Table book talk with author Dr. Rachael Storm, plus book signing opportunities!

📍 Wray Community Center (Roundhouse)

❤️ Help us give back! Bring a nonperishable food item to support Manna Pantry.

Come celebrate the people, traditions, and agricultural heritage that make our community special!

👇 Read more about this exciting event!

Yuma County Vendor Showcase and “Setting Colorado's Table” Book Talk Set for October 29WRAY, Colo. — From the fields and pastures of eastern Colorado to the tables of families across the state, agriculture has helped shape Colorado's history for 150 years. This fall, the Wray Museum and the Yu...

10/08/2026

Yuma County Conservation District is looking for a dependable, organized person to join our small team. This position helps keep the District office, finances, meetings, and public programs running smoothly. The ideal candidate enjoys varied work, pays close attention to detail, and is comfortable working with numbers, records, partner agencies, and the public.

For additional information please visit our website at https://www.ycconservation.com/post/yuma-county-conservation-district-hiring-part-time-office-assistant.

10/07/2026

It's poster contest time!! Soil. Where It All Begins.

09/09/2026

The YCCD will be sharing details about the Bonny Grazing Project this evening. Come join us!

Clear skies on the horizon for our star gazing event at Fox Ranch tomorrow. Hope to see you there.

08/25/2026

🌾 CHEATGRASS SOLUTIONS WORKSHOP – SEPTEMBER 17! 🌾

Cheatgrass continues to be a growing concern across eastern Colorado—impacting forage production, rangeland health, and wildfire risk. If you're a producer, landowner, or simply interested in learning more about what we can do about it, we hope you'll join us in Joes, Colorado, on September 17!

This FREE workshop will cover:

🌱 Cheatgrass identification and monitoring
🐄 Practical management tools
🔬 The science behind control methods
💰 Cost-share opportunities available to landowners
🚜 Local field demonstrations

We'll start the morning with coffee and donuts, followed by presentations, a provided lunch, and afternoon site visits where you can see management efforts firsthand.

📅 September 17, 2026
📍 Grassroots Community Center – Joes, CO
💲 FREE to attend!
🍽️ Lunch and refreshments provided

Please RSVP by September 10 to guarantee lunch!

👉 RSVP online using the QR code on the flyer or at the Eastern Colorado Grasslands Coalition website.

Please share with your neighbors, producers, and anyone who may be dealing with cheatgrass. We hope to see you there!

07/10/2026