Animas Valley Grange Hosts Free Tour of Heritage Orchard Hub Near Dolores

With McPhee Reservoir deliveries expected to tighten under below-average snowpack this summer, a 36-acre project near Dolores is offering a free public look at what orchard farming can look like when water is scarce and markets are hard to reach.

The Animas Valley Grange has organized a field trip to the Orchard Hub, a collaboration between the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project (MORP) and The Nature Conservancy, scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon on April 11. The tour will take visitors through the Hub's reestablished heritage orchard, its on-site juicing facility, and the water conservation practices adapted to the region's arid conditions.

The Hub's core mission runs in two directions at once: preserving rare apple varieties with deep roots in Four Corners agricultural history, and converting harvests into juice, cider, and other value-added products. That processing capacity matters most in years when yields are imperfect or irrigation falls short. Instead of fruit that can't be sold, growers gain a pathway to a marketable product regardless of what the season delivers.

For dryland and limited-water producers in Dove Creek and the surrounding valleys, the timing carries real weight. The prospect of reduced McPhee deliveries this summer makes the Hub's water management demonstrations more than a regional curiosity; they represent concrete strategies already being tested at scale in this landscape.

Organizers are encouraging carpooling from the Grange in Cortez, with a meetup at 8:30 a.m. for those who want to ride together. Visitors can also drive directly to the Hub at 13729 Road 29. An online sign-up link is available through the Animas Valley Grange for anyone wanting details ahead of the April 11 date. The tour is free and open to the public.