Auction to benefit Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area

CASA COLORADA — If you are a fan of the outdoors and wildlife, then there’s an auction for you.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the donation of 97 acres to the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, which has since been transformed into the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area, a permanent conservation easement.

Last year’s Big Hole Fire scorched more than 100 acres at the area, leading to the theme of this year’s online auction — Rising from the Ashes.

The auction is organized by the Friends of Whitfield, the nonprofit that supports the conservation area through volunteer work and fundraising to buy supplies and equipment.

In its third year, board secretary Linda Zaragoza and volunteer coordinator Frank Mazza have stepped up to organize the online auction of hundreds of items donated by local businesses and individuals.

Both have been involved in Whitfield as volunteers before joining the board.

“We both started out with interest in taking the Master Naturalist program,” Zaragoza said. “I wanted to find out more about how to do landscaping and gardening at home.”

The auction this year will support efforts to replace plantings at Whitfield destroyed in the fire.

The online auction will be live through Saturday, April 22, on the Friends website, friendsofwhitfield.org.

The auction wraps up on Earth Day and coincides with a day of celebration and activities at the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area.

“There’s probably an excess of 75 businesses that contributed items to the auction,” Zaragoza said. “The community support is always really heartwarming.”

A variety of items donated for the auction include hand-painted Leopold benches, barbecue grills, solar lights, books, artwork, local honey, plants and flowers, gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses and even a ride on a hot air balloon.

Mazza says Whitfield brings a wide range of benefits to the community, including proximity and ease of access.

“It’s right here in the community. It’s approachable, a place you can do journaling, take a leisurely walk. It’s a very easy place to enter as opposed to some places that are more distant or you have to purchase entry,” he said.

“The bosque is so important. It’s a protected place, where you can see wildlife. It’s important that as there are more people coming here and more pressures on our natural environment, that we carve out places that are protected, sacred so to speak, just to think about our human nature.”