The Estes Valley Land Trust will host a breakfast event on Saturday, July 19th, highlighting historic experiences at two mountain retreats: Rocky Mountain National Park and Lincoln Hills. The breakfast will be hosted at 8:00 AM at the Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center, located at 2750 Notaiah Road, off Dry Gulch Road, in Estes Park. More than 400 acres of land at Eagle Rock were conserved by the Estes Valley Land Trust in 1993 and the school continues to educate and empower young people, ages 15-17, to become catalysts of change in their lives and communities.

“I am so proud of the land trust’s partnership with the Eagle Rock School,” said Jeffrey Boring, Executive Director of the Estes Valley Land Trust. “Joining forces with a non-profit organization to develop a nationally recognized place of learning, within a conserved landscape, would be revolutionary today, and this happened more than 30 years ago.”

The event will begin with a hardy breakfast catered by Big Horn Restaurant and will include eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, pastries, juice, and coffee. This event is outdoors, and attendees must bring their own camp chairs. Please come prepared with a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a jacket.

Three guest speakers will share their expertise and stories at the event. Dr. Ruth Alexander, Professor Emerita of History at Colorado State University and local author, will discuss Rocky Mountain National Park and Longs Peak as examples of the National Park Service’s efforts to promote visitor enjoyment, resource preservation, democratic freedom and equality. Dr. Alexander will highlight how these obligations have been perceived as competing rather than complimentary commitments.

The Honorable Judge Gary Jackson and Dr. Jeanette Patterson will share the history and stories of Lincoln Hills, the first African American recreational resort west of the Mississippi River. Judge Jackson is a retired Denver judge and great-grandson of one of the original Lincoln Hills landowners, and Dr. Patterson is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Lincoln Hills Cares.

Attendees may be very familiar with Rocky Mountain National Park, but Lincoln Hills remains relatively unknown to many in the community despite being only an hour south of Estes Park. Opened in 1922, Lincoln Hills provided a place where African Americans could escape the segregation and white supremacy of the early 20th century. “Lincoln Hills represents an oasis, an opportunity to recreate among one’s own and a place of courage, ingenuity, and resiliency,” said Judge Jackson. Lincoln Hills is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Learning about the history of mountain sanctuaries like Rocky Mountain National Park and Lincoln Hills can create respect and understanding for what some Americans had to overcome just to recreate outside,” said Boring. “We are so fortunate that these retreats are open and accessible today and I’m looking forward to an inspiring breakfast that encourages us to advocate for conservation and recreation for all.”

Registration for the breakfast is required and can be completed at: evlandtrust.org/rsvp. Please plan to carpool as parking is limited for this event.

Registration is $20 per person for land trust members. Non-members can join the land trust for $35 and receive free entrance to the event.