S T O R I E SB Y J A K E B E L V I N

STOR

IES MSABI // P. 04

BUNNA // P. 12

RODEO // P. 22

NATURE CONSERVANCY // P. 32

MESA VERDE // P. 18

OCEANFRONT // P. 26

SUTCLIFFE VINEYARDS // P. 38

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4Stories by Jake Belvin // MSABI // Ifakara, Tanzania

MSABIIFAKARA, TANZANIA

MSABI is the largest Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program in Tanzania, providing access to clean water through use of technology to provide simple, cost-effective, and locally sourced wells reaching clean water, as well as efficient filtration systems. The program receives overwhelming community support, and their education programs reach numerous Tanzanians. Research is also an integral program component, performed with partners such as the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and Ifakara Health Institute, which allow MSABI to develop, test, validate, and promote new systems and technologies. MSABI stands for “Maji Safi kwa Afya Bora Ifakara” - Swahili for “Safe Water for Better Health.”

12Stories by Jake Belvin // Bunna // Limu Genet, Ethiopia

BUNNALimu Genet, Ethiopia

Coffee, or Bunna in Ethiopian, is intimately tied with the national culture and community. Burka Gudina coffee farm produces high quality coffee in the Limmu region of Ethiopia, and takes care to support its staff and the local community with education and fair employment practices and opportunities. The 250 hectare farm is family owned and began producing coffee in the 1930’s. Today, the farm’s full-time agronomist and a team of researchers from the Jimma Agricultural Research Center maintain 3,332 trees spread across 3 coffee varietals. Burka Gudina is the original name of the farm which means “Where Blessings Grow.”

18Stories by Jake Belvin // Mesa Verde // Montezuma County, Colorado

MESA VERDEMontezuma County, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site, National Park, and largest archaeological preserve in the United States. The site was federally designated in 1906 to protect a large number of well preserved cliff dwellings and exists as the only US Cultural National Park. The over 4,000 archaeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings were built by the Ancestral Puebloan People who resided in this area for approximately 700 years, and remain are some of the most notable and best-preserved in the United States. 24 Native American tribes have a special relationship with Mesa Verde, from the Pueblo, Hopi, Ysleta, Ute, and Navajo peoples.

22Stories by Jake Belvin // Rodeo // Craig, Colorado

RODEOCraig, Colorado

The city of Craig, Colorado is located in the rolling plains of the western slope of the Colorado Rockies, about 50 miles west of the continental divide in the Northwest corner of Colorado. Craig is the commercial and industrial center of the region, with rodeo participants at the town fairgrounds from all areas of the community including local businesses, the three local coal-mining operations, and nearby towns.

26Stories by Jake Belvin // Oceanfront // Negril, Jamaica

OCEANFRONTNegril, Jamaica

Negril lies on the West Coast of Jamaica, a village ranging from high-end exclusive resorts to family-run traditional Jamaican jerk chicken shacks. With the local “seven mile” beach rated consistently as one of the top ten in the world, tourism fuels Negil’s economy. Despite this influx of travelers from the U.S., Europe, and further, areas in Negril remain undeveloped and undisturbed, with the landscape and water quality remaining clean amidst the influx of travelers. Sustainable tourism through the Urban Development Corporation has already been implemented at several resorts and public beach areas in Negril.

32Stories by Jake Belvin // Nature Conservancy // Brett Gray Ranch, Colorado Springs, Colorado

NATURE CONSERVANCYBrett Gray Ranch, Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Brett Gray Ranch was established by The Nature Conservancy in 2007 as an effort to protect and preserve some of Colorado’s undeveloped prairies, and to also help conserve the habitat of a wide-range of species that live in Eastern Colorado. The Brett Gray Ranch hosts over 200 natural playas which are critical for migratory birds, particularly waterfowl, and are home to the Plains Leopard Frog. These habitats are being preserved from any development and are used to educate the public to the importance of the land.

38Stories by Jake Belvin // Sutcliffe Vineyards // Cortez, Colorado

SUTCLIFFEVINEYARDSCortez, Colorado

The phrase “farm to table” has pervaded Colorado culture and is an important component of the philosophy at Sutcliffe Vineyards. The wines grow in the fertile McElmo Canyon in the Southwest corner or Colorado, as do the food crops produced here. Sutcliffe Vineyards identifies itself with the key mantra “We grow wine, and we live wine,” with the estate and twenty two naturally-farmed acres overseen by three quality-obsessed farmers who meticulously farm, harvest, and create Sutcliffe’s award winning wines. This commitment to quality and passion for wine have resulted in Wine Enthusiast’s endorsement of Sutcliffe Vineyards as the most highly regarded Southwest producer to date.

PHOTOGRAPHYjakebelvin.com // 303.834.5914 // jake@jakebelvin.com

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