One Valley, Together
Standing in this valley, it's easy to feel the scale of something bigger than you. Lake Fork Valley Conservancy (LFVC) has only ever protected it one way: together.
That kind of togetherness is rare, and it doesn't happen by accident. LFVC traces back to 1998, when a small group of locals formed the Lake Fork Land Trust, a 501(c)3 corporation, to protect the valley’s water, land, and wildlife. In 2002 the Lake Fork Watershed Stakeholders, an informal consensus group, formed to protect water quality and spearhead the cleanup of legacy mines. These two organizations merged in 2010 to form the Lake Fork Valley Conservancy. Our shape has changed but the core mission has stayed remarkably intact.
Lyn Lampert has been in his role in one form or another since 2002, when he established and led the Lake Fork Watershed Stakeholders. He became Board president in 2010 when we became the LFVC. He oversaw the watershed monitoring and restoration work that led to clean up of nine legacy mines. The Lake Fork River restoration work in Lake City also bears his mark. He is still a board member today and is LFVC’s institutional memory, often being the first person any of us call when we need to know why something is the way it is or how it got that way.
Harvey DuChene took over in 2015 and oversaw the donation of the Lake Fork Earth and Sky Center property, the completion of its conservation easement, and its designation as an International Dark Sky Park. He is now board emeritus and runs our geology programs, including this year's rock and mineral classes and volcano tours. It is a reminder of how the people who led this organization stay woven into its fabric.
Tim Crist was president from 2020 until September 2026 and is staying on the board. He has been the driving force behind the infrastructure development at the Lake Fork Earth & Sky Center, including the construction of both yurts and the trail system. It wouldn't have happened without him. He is also an integral part of the Forest Feast team.
Our Executive Director, Camille Richard, has been building LFVC in various roles since before it had this name. She's worked hard through mergers, name changes, and new leadership. That kind of continuity isn't just a board story. It's a staff story, too.
I bring my own thread to that continuity. My husband and I fell in love with the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and purchased a home on the river in 2007. Three decades leading teams in technology and strategy taught me how to help organizations flourish without losing what makes them work. This past year, I led the refresh of our brand and website, the rollout of new systems for our behind-the-scenes work, and the development of our new strategic plan.
Our strategic plan centers on four clear promises:
Restore Vital Ecosystems
Champion Critical Habitat & Dark Skies
Promote Stewardship Through Adventure
Build Capacity for Environmental Discovery
I share all this not to recite history for its own sake, but because I think it's the actual secret to how an organization like ours thrives: continuity of people, not just continuity of mission.
That's what I'm inheriting: not a blank slate, but a valley's worth of institutional memory still very much present in its board members and staff. My job isn't to reinvent LFVC. It's to keep it moving forward while making sure the people who built it — yurt by yurt — know their work is still standing on solid ground. I'm honored to be trusted with this role, and even more honored that Lyn, Harvey, Tim, and Camille are still right here beside me.
Here's to the next chapter, built the same way as the last ones: together.
— Melissa Risteff, LFVC President
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