Boulder County government held a public meeting at the Nederland Library on May 21, 2024, to discuss the results of their Gross Reservoir Community Land Preservation Survey.

The settlement agreement with Denver Water provided for $5.1 million for a land acquisition fund to mitigate impacts from the Gross Reservoir expansion project.

Samuel Wallace of Peak Facilitation Group was the moderator for the meeting. Aaron Clark, Land Officer for Boulder County Open Space, and Barbara Halpin, Special Projects and Community Engagement Coordinator, led the discussion and provided background information as to how the acquisition fund might be used.

The settlement agreement stipulated that the acquisition fund could be used to reduce impacts on recreation areas in Boulder County through purchasing property for open space, acquiring conservation easements, and establishing trail corridors. Boulder County received payment from Denver Water in May, so the acquisition fund has been established.

Halpin explained the process for using the fund, which started with the survey that was sent to over 2,000 residents from their Gross Reservoir contact list. The survey was conducted from April 15 to May 13, 2024, and the results have been tabulated and analyzed by County staff.

The survey considered four potential uses of the fund. The first use was to protect habitat by purchasing land that would protect wildlife, expand a wildlife migratory corridor, protect a nesting area, or create a buffer between human development and wild spaces.

The second proposed use would be for undeveloped (non-motorized) passive recreation. Land purchases in this category would be aimed at connecting publicly owned parcels or acquiring mining claims, but would have no amenities like trails.

Developed (non-motorized) passive recreation would focus on acquiring land that would allow for amenities like parking lots, toilets, and trailheads.

Purchasing land for a shooting range was the fourth proposed use for the acquisition fund. Development of a shooting range would allow the County to implement shooting restrictions in some areas of national forests in Boulder County and around Gross Reservoir.

Clark used a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the results of the survey. The survey was a preference poll on each use with a scale from 1 to 5.

The aggregated and weighted scores of the four uses showed habitat protection as the highest ranked use (4.27) followed by undeveloped recreation (4.11), developed recreation (3.14) and shooting range (2.19).

Public comment included pros and cons for the different uses. One comment noted that purchasing land for habitat or undeveloped recreation does not mitigate issues caused by the expansion of the reservoir. Other comments stated that people move to the area for the mountains, forests, and wildlife, so purchasing land to conserve habitat is an appropriate use of these funds.

Based on the results and staff review of available options, the Boulder County commissioners will receive a set of land acquisition recommendations later this summer.

After commissioner approvals or changes, expected this fall, open space staff will proceed with purchasing and developing land using the acquisition fund. Due to the complexity of land reviews and purchases, it will take several years for this acquisition fund to be completely exhausted.

A video version of this meeting can be found on YouTube. Use the search term: Gross Reservoir Land Preservation Survey Community Meeting.

The link to the survey results is: assets.bouldercounty.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2024/05/Boulder-County-Gross-Reservoir-Expansion_Land-Preservation-Community-Survey.pdf.

For more information about this land acquisitions process, contact Barbara Halpin at 720-564-2830 or bhalpin@bouldercounty.gov.