The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
20 years in the making
By Kendra Walker
Last week, the Crested Butte Land Trust secured a critical donation that helped complete a trail conservation easement on the Woods Walk trail that connects the town of Crested Butte to the Lower Loop trail. According to land trust executive director Noel Durant, this connected corridor has been 20 years in the making, with the first easement secured in 2000.
“Securing that final 1,000 feet of trail that guarantees community access across this corridor is exciting, and is a testament to how it’s about a partnership, not just with the land trust but also with land users,” said Durant.
Conservation easements between the land trust and private landowners help permanently protect conservation values in the Gunnison Valley, including public recreation access, wildlife habitats and scenic views. “It was a long time in the making to build trust with the owner,” said Durant, speaking to a valued partnership. “Being good neighbors is a key element of this.”
Durant also stresses the importance for Woods Walk users to respect the private property signs and follow proper trail etiquette. “These trail corridors, and the relationships that underpin them, require that everyone takes care to leave the trails better than they found them,” he said.
As for any changes to expect along Woods Walk, “With conservation easements, the change is that things stay the same,” said Durant. “The Crested Butte Land Trust thanks our conservation landowners who made the conscious choice to make this community trail access to the Slate River a reality by granting public access, and thanks the many trail users who respect this amenity and leave it as a gem to pass on to the next generation.”
