Yuma County Conservation District

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!

08/11/2026

08/04/2026

🌱🐄 Years of Planning...Now It's Finally Happening! 🐄🌱

The Bonny Reservoir Adaptive Grazing Demonstration Project has officially begun!

After nearly four years of planning, partnership building, grant writing, environmental review, and project coordination, cattle are now grazing nearly 5,000 acres of the former Bonny Reservoir and surrounding rangelands.

This project is about much more than grazing cattle.

Working alongside an incredible team of partners, the Yuma County Conservation District is demonstrating how adaptive grazing can be used to:
🌾 Improve rangeland health
🦌 Enhance wildlife habitat
🔥 Reduce wildfire fuels
💧 Strengthen drought resilience
🌱 Restore a healthier, more diverse landscape

The project also showcases some exciting new technology, including:
📍 Halter GPS-enabled virtual fencing, allowing cattle to be managed without permanent interior fencing.
🛰️ RangeView satellite-based monitoring to track forage production, grazing utilization, and vegetation changes throughout the grazing season.

This project would not be possible without the collaboration of our steering team partners:
🤝 Bureau of Reclamation
🤝 Colorado Parks and Wildlife
🤝 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
🤝 Natural Resources Conservation Service
🤝 Colorado State University Extension
🤝 Republican River Water Conservation District

We also want to thank our funding partners:
✔️ Colorado Parks and Wildlife
✔️ Habitat Partnership Program
✔️ Mule Deer Foundation
✔️ Colorado Association of Conservation Districts

A special thank you goes to Darrell and Arleen Smith, our grazing cooperators, for embracing innovative technology and helping make this demonstration project a reality.

📸 Over the coming months, we'll be sharing updates, photos, drone imagery, and the lessons we're learning as the project progresses.

Stay tuned for details about our Bonny Reservoir Field Day later this year—we'd love for you to come see the project in action!

👉 Read the full story on our website:
https://www.ycconservation.com/post/bonny-reservoir-adaptive-grazing-demonstration-project-enters-implementation-phase-across-nearly-5-0

07/10/2026

06/05/2026

🚨 LAST CHANCE! EQIP SIGN-UP DEADLINE IS MONDAY, JUNE 8! 🚨

Producers and landowners in Yuma, Phillips, and Sedgwick Counties who are interested in addressing cheatgrass and other invasive annual grasses are encouraged to contact their local NRCS office and sign up for EQIP by Monday, June 8.

Through a recently funded Targeted Conservation Program (TCP), conservation assistance is available to help address invasive annual grasses, improve rangeland health, increase forage production, and enhance wildlife habitat across the three-county area.

This is a unique opportunity made possible through a collaborative effort between local conservation partners and NRCS, and only a limited number of these targeted programs were funded statewide.

📞 Contact your local NRCS office as soon as possible to discuss eligibility and begin the application process.

Don't wait until the last minute—the deadline is Monday!

06/02/2026

🚨 REMINDER – Please RSVP! 🚨

Planning to attend one of our Invasive Annual Grass Restoration Workshops on June 4?

Please be sure to RSVP with the Yuma County Conservation District so we can provide an accurate meal count for each location.

🌱 Learn about:
✔ Cheatgrass and invasive annual grass management
✔ Native species restoration
✔ Wildlife habitat benefits
✔ Conservation funding opportunities through NRCS

This is a great opportunity to hear from experts, ask questions, and learn more about the recently funded NRCS Targeted Conservation Program serving Yuma, Phillips, and Sedgwick Counties.

📞 To RSVP, contact the Yuma County Conservation District:
970-332-3107 ext. 9002
📧 [email protected]

Meals are being provided, so please help us plan accordingly by reserving your spot today!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Yuma Conservation District (YCD) Sedgwick County Conservation DistrictHaxtun Conservation District

05/29/2026

🌱🍽️ Eat. Learn. Restore. 🍽️🌱

The Yuma County Conservation District is excited to host a series of Invasive Annual Grass Restoration Workshops on June 4 in Julesburg, Holyoke, and Wray!

Did you know that the Yuma County Conservation District worked with NRCS to develop a Targeted Conservation Program (TCP) focused on cheatgrass and invasive annual grass management? This highly competitive proposal was selected for funding and is expected to impact approximately 6,000 acres across Yuma, Phillips, and Sedgwick Counties through improved rangeland health, invasive grass control, and enhanced wildlife habitat.

Even more exciting, only five Targeted Conservation Programs were funded in Colorado this year, making this a significant conservation achievement for northeastern Colorado!

Join us to learn about:
✅ Cheatgrass and invasive annual grass management
✅ Native species restoration
✅ Noxious w**d control strategies
✅ Conservation funding opportunities available through NRCS

Special thanks to Envu for sponsoring these workshops and to Alan Hopkins (Envu) and Trent Verquer (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) for sharing their expertise.

With the June 8 EQIP signup deadline approaching, now is the perfect time to learn about available opportunities and management strategies.

📞 Please RSVP to the Yuma County Conservation District so we can provide an accurate meal count.
Call 970-332-3107 ext. 9002 or email [email protected] to reserve your spot.

We hope to see you there!

05/18/2026

https://www.ycconservation.com/post/usda-nrcs-announces-june-8-deadline-for-new-sandhills-rangeland-conservation-program-in-yuma-philli

05/08/2026

🌿 Final Tree Shipment Has Arrived! 🌿
The last of our trees are finally in, and we’ve added a few new items to the lineup!

If you’ve been waiting—now’s the time. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!
👉 Order now and get ready to plant! www.ycconservation.com/shop