A draft management plan update for Glassier Open Space is now open to public comment through Nov. 6.
Both the draft plan and an online survey are available on the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails projects page – www.pitkinOSTprojects.com. The Open Space and Trails Board reviewed the draft plan Oct. 1 and is scheduled to adopt a final version in December.
In addition, the Open Space staff will be at Glassier for two days of outreach – on Oct. 13 and Oct. 21 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (weather permitting) – to answer questions, give mini-tours and show the public how to review the plan and submit comments.
The new plan is an update to the original management plan for Glassier, adopted in 2015. Since that time, separate bike/hike and equestrian/hike trails have been constructed along with an off-site trailhead parking area; agricultural lease areas were created; irrigation improvements were installed and an historic home on the property was stabilized.
The 2020 update seeks to reinforce the foundation of the original plan while focusing energy on areas that are ready for additional consideration. This includes looking at irrigation efficiencies and habitat improvements as part of a holistic plan for the site. The draft plan also sets forth a process to reactivate the farmstead area and facilitate productive agricultural operations on the property by evaluating options for on-site housing, including the potential rehabilitation of the house. Altering the winter closure period on the property to better align with opening dates on adjacent public lands and the Rio Grande Trail is also proposed.
Glassier Open Space, a 282-acre parcel located within the Eagle County portion of the mid-Roaring Fork Valley, was acquired through land purchases in 2013 and 2014. The open space encompasses agricultural lands and an historic farmstead, borders the Roaring Fork River and the Rio Grande Trail, and connects to a trail network on the Crown that is under BLM management. The open space acquisitions involved a partnership of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, Eagle County, Great Outdoors Colorado, the Town of Basalt, and the Mid-Valley Trails Committee.
Contact: Lindsey Utter, Open Space and Trails Planning and Outreach Manager, lindsey.utter@pitkincounty.com or 970-920-5224
