Douglas Land Conservancy and Douglas County Open Space are proud to offer this unique opportunity to purchase the newest John Fielder book.  John Fielder will be presenting a slide show and offering to sign his new book “Ranches of Colorado” for purchase on December 2, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Douglas Land Conservancy is a non-profit land trust that has been protecting open space through conservation easements in Douglas County since 1987.  To date Douglas Land Conservancy has preserved close to 18,000 acres of open space within the county.  A portion of the proceeds from this event will help Douglas Land Conservancy to continue the protection of critical ranches, open space, and wildlife habitat within the surrounding area.

Ranches of Colorado

Tucked into every corner of the Colorado landscape are places where legends still live.  The ranches of the West, and the ranchers who run them, embody what is true about America, and what Americans want to be true: self sufficiency, determination, independence, competence, fearlessness, and an abiding reverence for the land that has blessed us with abundance and opportunity. 

These ranches tell of a life that is quickly disappearing.  There is pressure to sell out to developers for ski areas and vacation homes and shopping centers.  There are children who, legacy or not, no longer want to make a living from the land.  And there are taxes that can threaten to take away what has been in the family for generations.  As we watch the complex struggle of these ranchers to maintain a life that is slipping away, we also witness the inspiring way in which people are coming together to protect it. 

In 2007 and 2008 John Fielder traveled to photograph 50 of Colorado’s most beautiful multi-generational working cattle ranches, most already protected from development. The resulting book Ranches of Colorado will play a part in the protection of other ranches.

• Reception beginning at 5:00 p.m. Slide show and book signing from 7:00 p.m.to 9:00 p.m. December 2, 2009 Douglas County Event Center, 500 Fairgrounds Road, Castle Rock, CO. 80104

The slide show will include over 100 of the project photographs.  John will tell stories about his experiences working with these remarkable ranchers and exploring their ranches. Both book and slide show will be used to rally support for the use of conservation easements to save ranches by encouraging other ranch owners to do such, and to raise funds to so that these lands can remain in ranching in perpetuity.

The Book: Ranches of Colorado

• A portion of the proceeds from the book signing event will benefit Douglas Land Conservancy.
• 16’ x 12” leather-like binding with barnwood tip-in
• 232 pages, 375 photographs of 50 Colorado ranches
• essays by the late James Meadow based on interviews with 10 ranch families
• John Fielder will be available to sign books from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.
• Great for holiday gifts

The slide show and book signing are open to the public.  To RSVP for the free private reception with John Fielder, call Patti Hostetler at (303) 688-8025 or e-mail pattihos@msn.com or