Partners

Southwest Conservation Corps logo
Southwest Conservation Corps

The Old Fort has served as the Southwest Conservation Corps' base camp since 2010. From April through November, they utilize the space for crew and member training, tool storage, and rigging/de-rigging for their hitches. In return, they provide work crews to assist with on-site projects throughout the year.

Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project logo
Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project

Learn to graft apple trees at our annual workshops, held in partnership with Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project (MORP) each Spring at Old Fort at Hesperus. Discover the rich history of our orchard, dating back to the early 1900s. It boasts nearly eighty 100+ year-old apple trees of rare and unknown varieties, meticulously grafted and identified through collaboration with MORP and USDA-ARS.

Read more about orchard restoration

Mesa Verde Helitack logo
Mesa Verde Helitack

The Mesa Verde Interagency Helitack crew is a Wildland fire crew that consists of firefighters specially trained in wildland fire suppression, search and rescue, and helicopter operations. The Old Fort serves as a training area for crews. The crew covers over 8 million acres, including Mesa Verde National Park, San Juan National Forest, San Juan District Bureau of Land Management, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Indian Reservations, and state and private lands.

Fort Lewis College logo
Fort Lewis College Academic Use

Fort Lewis College's Liberal Arts education prepares students to tackle complex challenges at the Old Fort, a hub for interdisciplinary research and community partnerships in sustainable agriculture and cultural stewardship. Students develop critical thinking skills through experiential learning and engagement with diverse ecosystems and historical resources and contribute to responsible stewardship practices.

Read more about academic use

Interested in pursuing a partnership with the Old Fort?

Please contact us to start a conversation.


The Old Fort

18683 CO-140
Hesperus, CO 81326
 oldfortathesperus@fortlewis.edu
 970-385-4574

Sign up for our newsletter

     

Land Acknowledgement 

We acknowledge the land that the Old Fort is situated upon is the ancestral land and territory of the Nuuchiu (Ute) people who were forcibly removed by the United States Government. We also acknowledge that this land is connected to the communal and ceremonial spaces of the Jicarilla Abache (Apache), Pueblos of New Mexico, Hopi Sinom (Hopi), and Diné (Navajo) Nations.

The Old Fort and Fort Lewis College are committed to reconciling their history as a federal Indian Boarding School from 1892 to 1909.

Learn more about reconciliation

FLC logo

The Old Fort is owned by the Colorado State Land Board and managed by Fort Lewis College.


Digital accessibility