New leadership on the Colorado State Land Board provided opportunity last fall to rethink the board's options and investigate new models for management and long-term planning. In December, the board hosted a half-day state trust lands workshop facilitated by Western Lands and Communities, a joint venture of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Sonoran Institute. They discussed the challenges facing state trust land managers as economic and land management circumstances change, and new strategies to modernize asset management. 

The Western Lands and Communities (WLC) team worked with the board to review the history of trust land grants, fiduciary duties of trustees, state trust doctrine and case law, and the evolution of trust land management in Colorado.  Research to assist state trust land managers in creating a successful business model was also shared.  

The briefing explored the tools, research and best practices developed by WLC designed to assist agencies in developing a long-term vision for improved management of trust lands and higher returns for the beneficiaries.  Issues including asset management, planning and disposition tools, and capacity building were discussed, and a case study of long-term trust land planning effort, Superstition Vistas, in Arizona were presented to the board.   

For more information about the workshop and briefing presentations, or to schedule a workshop for your state agency, contact Susan Culp, Project Manager, Western Lands and Communities, at sculp@sonoraninstitute.org or call (602) 393-4310 ext. 3.