Protecting the 220,000-acre Thompson Divide outside of Carbondale takes money, and the Aspen Environment Foundation recently made a $50,000 grant to aid those efforts. It’s the largest grant in the organization’s 16-year history, and the goal is to protect the area from oil and gas development on federal lands, according to officials.
The Thompson Divide is a large swath of wilderness area, and multiple organizations, including Wilderness Workshop, the Thompson Divide Coalition and EcoFlight, are fighting to preserve the land from development. 
In total, the Foundation donated more than $118,000 to 13 projects in the spring of 2013. The foundation is funded by donations from Aspen Skiing Company employees and matched in whole or in part by Aspen Community Foundation, the Aspen Skiing Company Family Fund, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Swire Coca-Cola. Since its inception more than $2.2 million in grants have supported 401 projects.
