Photos by JOHN FIELDER/Special to the Sentinel—Conserving open space includes saving orchards and farm lands from development. The Armstrong orchard on East Orchard Mesa, above, has been protected by the Mesa Land Trust as part of the Grand Valley’s heritage. BELOW: A placid moment at the Island Acres section of James M. Robb Colorado River State Park, one of the many sites in the Grand Valley benefiting from funds from Great Outdoors Colorado.