For Immediate Release
June 10, 2009
Media Contact: John Dakin
(970) 949-1999
EDWARDS, Colorado—The newest addition to the Eagle River Preserve in Edwards is a young aspen tree as Eagle County, Eagle Valley Land Trust and Vail Valley Foundation administrators, along with other interested parties, came together June 10 for the official dedication ceremony for the 72-acre open space project.
Wielding gold shovels, County Commissioners Peter Runyon and Sara Fisher joined forces with Land Trust board members Tom Edwards and Ellen Eaton, Vail Valley Foundation president Ceil Folz and long-time local developer Jen Wright to help plant the ceremonial tree.
The dedication marks the culmination of a four-year journey for the parcel, formerly known as Eaton Ranch. The Vail Valley Foundation and Eagle County began the process of raising the $12 million necessary to purchase the land for open space in 2004, closing on the property one year later. The parcel was immediately turned over to Eagle County with a strict conservation easement, managed by the Eagle Valley Land Trust.
The dirt features that dot the Preserve are the result of over a year’s worth of work that includes the deposit and shaping of over 700,000 cubic yards of dirt, much of it coming from the construction projects that have dotted the valley over the past several years.
In addition, the dumping fees for this dirt have been deposited in the Eagle River Preserve Fund with Eagle County so that the current reclamation efforts, along with these new features, have come at no expense to taxpayers.
Phase One of the project opened to the public on May 30, with the area available for use from dusk to dawn. In addition to the dirt features, a special pond and stream complex has also been constructed that will carry water from the J.M Dodd Ditch on the Preserve’s southern edge through a stream and connecting ponds before joining with the Eagle River.
Work is currently ongoing on Phase Two of the project. For additional information on Eagle River Preserve, contact the Eagle County Community Development Department or the Eagle Valley Land Trust.
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For press inquiries please contact John Dakin with the Vail Valley Foundation at 970-949-1999.
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