For Immediate Release: 3/1/2013

Contacts: Katherine King (970) 668-4061

In collaboration with the USFS Dillon Ranger District office, the Summit County Open Space and Trails Department has been working to ensure permanent legal access to the portion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST) that traverses Summit County from Georgia Pass above Breckenridge to Greys and Torreys Peaks above Montezuma. Established via the 1987 National Parks and Recreation Act, the CDNST runs approximately 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada, with 770 of those miles through Colorado. “The nature and purposes of the CDNST are to provide for high-quality scenic, primitive hiking and horseback riding opportunities and to conserve natural, historic, and cultural resources along the CDNST corridor” (per the 2009 CDNST Amended Comprehensive Plan).

In 2012, the County Open Space Program purchased 33.5 acres of privately-owned mining claims along the CDNST in several transactions, thereby protecting trail access, as well as high alpine tundra habitat for mountain goats, big horn sheep, pika, marmots, and rare alpine vegetation. These parcels may eventually be conveyed to the US Forest Service, as they are surrounded by National Forest, and protection of the CDNST is considered a very high recreation access priority of White River National Forest.

The Open Space Program also utilized another conservation tool, Transfer of Development Rights (or TDRs), to protect 174 acres of land at the Silver Spoon and Pennsylvania Mines in the Snake River Basin. Based on County Master Plan goals to concentrate development in and near towns, instead of throughout the County’s scenic backcountry, TDRs eliminated development potential at a lower cost to the Open Space Program and the citizens of Summit County than purchasing the properties.

A recent collaboration of the County and Town of Breckenridge Open Space Programs protected the scenic viewshed and recreational opportunities of Gibson Hill above Breckenridge. An important area for summer and winter recreation, it contains a network of highly-used trails for Nordic skiing, mountain biking and other uses - including the Slalom and Fall Classic trails. In 2012, the County and Town’s Open Space Programs jointly acquired 31 acres of backcountry claims on Gibson Hill, complementing 50 acres of claims purchased in the same area in 2011. Without the purchase of this land, access to several trails may have been blocked or precluded by the development of homes, roads and driveways. The area also borders National Forest and existing open space, supports habitat for deer and elk, and contains a number of historic sites from Breckenridge’s mining era.

South of Breckenridge, the County and Town also acquired a small piece of land in 2012 from the Upper Blue Sanitation District. This parcel, at the intersection of Highway 9 and Blue Lakes Road, allowed the Town and County to enhance parking for the Quandary Trailhead. An increasingly popular access point for recreation, expanded parking was needed for visitors, and to maintain safe access for emergency vehicles along McCullough Gulch Road.

The Summit County Open Space Program is funded by a property tax (or mill levy) approved by voters in four elections, most recently in 2008. This twelve year funding mechanism provides approximately $1.2 million per year for open space property acquisition. Established in 1996, the Open Space Program has protected over 14,500 acres of land in Summit County via purchases, donations, and conservation easements. For more information, please visit the Open Space and Trails section of the Summit County website, or call Katherine King at 970-668-4061.