Calling all Eagle residents who care about open spaces
Town to hold open house for feedback on new Open Space and Trails Master Plan on Tuesday, March 15
The Town of Eagle is seeking input on a new plan to protect and maintain the thing that draws many people to move to Eagle in the first place: open spaces and trails.
The town has been working diligently on its 2022 Open Space and Trails Master Plan and staff are finally ready to share it with the public, Open Space and Trails Manager Brian Lieberman said Thursday.
Eagle’s Open Space and Trails Department will host an open house on the evening of Tuesday, March 15, to give residents the opportunity to make their voices heard by providing feedback on the final draft of the plan.
Last year, the town hired a consulting firm to aid in the development of a comprehensive plan for the town’s “expansive network of trails and open space,” according to a press release.
“After extensive community involvement, robust natural resource and trails inventories, and stakeholder analysis, a final draft of the master plan is assembled,” according to the release.
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The town will present the final draft of the plan for community input at the Brush Creek Pavilion on Tuesday, March 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The plan is meant to “provide guidance and stewardship strategies for the town, in coordination with regional partners and the community, to enhance outdoor recreation experiences, engage the local community, and protect local wildlife and wildlife habitats,” according to a press release issued over the summer.
The 10-year plan addresses “open space preservation, trail maintenance, trail expansion, wildlife protection,” among other things.
The plan is meant to be the primary guiding document for the Open Space and Trails Department and uses community involvement to “identify a vision for open space, trails, and sounding public lands in the Eagle area.”
The department began by taking an inventory of existing open space and trails and assessing the town’s “existing stewardship and maintenance strategies,” according to the most recent press release.
It then developed recommendations for improving the town’s management of these areas and explored new ideas to increase funding for management.
“In addition, the plan will include research and recommendations for prioritization and needs analysis for capital projects, land acquisitions, trail development, recreation services, cultural amenities, funding estimates, and funding mechanisms,” according to the most recent press release.
The town began the planning process back in July and expressed a desire to collect as much public feedback as possible from the beginning. The Open Space and Trails Department held its first event to get feedback from the community on Sept. 23.
The committee teamed up with Walking Mountains Science Center and the Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement to host an informational walk around the Brush Creek Open Space with representatives discussing Eagle’s open spaces and trails as well as local wildlife, vegetation and fishing.
Now, with a final draft ready to present, the March 15 event will be one of residents’ last chances to make their voices heard on the plan.
Community members can get more information about the project and the open house at eagleostplan.org/. Lieberman, Open Space and Trails Manager, can be reached at (970) 328-6542 or brian.lieberman@townofeagle.org.
Email Kelli Duncan at kduncan@vaildaily.com