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• Conservation
• Smart Growth
• Social
Justice
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News: Hunter Creek
Are We now All “Friends of Hunter Creek?”
Op-Ed by Timothy McFlynn, Aspen
Times.
In 1988, FREE HUNTER CREEK was emblazoned on T-shirts and bumper
stickers. Hardly a week went by the next four years without a BOCC
or Court hearing, a front-page article or lead editorial, a full-page
ad announcing a picnic or ski-in, or an incident of harassment on our
public roads and trails.
Today, subject only to formal BOCC approval, Pitkin County and the
Friends of Hunter Creek have finally secured perpetual rights of public
access from Aspen to the nearby Hunter Creek Valley -- the back yard
of Aspen -- and to the pristine 82,450 acre Hunter-Frying Pan Wilderness
beyond.
Wisely, in my view, the County, the Friends, and all of
the affected Red Mountain landowners settled for limited rather than
unlimited public access. In so doing, the interests of all parties
were harmonized so as to preserve as much as possible the sanctity
of this very special place -- for tomorrow’s flora and fauna
as well as for all who find time for a lunch hour walk or ski, an afternoon
ride, a day or two of hiking or fishing, a summer or winter hut trip,
a week of hunting, or an extended adventure into permanently protected
wilderness.
The settlement protects these lands from being overrun by “too
much access” (e.g., vehicular, dirt bike, snowmobile, tour bus
... even asphalt). As the Agreement recites, a balance has been struck
that will “guarantee suitable public access to the Hunter Creek
Valley and aid in the preservation of the Hunter Creek Valley.” All
hands worked hard to avoid the specter captured so well by Joni Mitchell’s
alarming refrain, “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot”.
As she wisely reminded all of us in her ‘70s ballad about our
environment, “...You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til
it’s gone....”
The honor roll of those in our community whose efforts were indispensable
to this long awaited day deserves deep and thunderous public thanks.
First , hats off to the Friends of Hunter Creek, founded
quickly in 1988 when the McCloskeys closed and barricaded the historic
North Road as it passed through the middle of their 70 acres, very
close to the site of their new home. The Friends’ Steering Committee
was led by the same dedicated conservationists and backcountry enthusiasts
who had worked together in the early ’70s to secure Congressional
approval of the federal purchase of the entire Valley floor from McCulloch
Oil Company, averting a planned 1200 house subdivision.
These public access and management issues continue to be a passionate
focus for the indomitable Jim Ward, always a wise and witty voice of
reason; for environmentalists Charlie and Heather Hopton, Connie Harvey
and Dottie Fox; for former Aspen Mayors Stacy Stanley and John Bennett;
and for long-time ACES director Tom Cardamone and cartoonist Chris
Cassatt. They and other Friends volunteered thousands of hours circulating
petitions, designing ads, signing affidavits, locating old-timers,
driving elderly witnesses to depositions and trial, and raising money
for expert witnesses -- all indispensable ingredients for success.
Second, three cheers for the truth-telling that was pivotal
to favorable Court rulings at every juncture, including the key ruling
at the end of a 50 witness federal trial that the 110 year old Hunter
Creek Toll Road was still a public road. The roll call of such witnesses
whose sworn testimony was offered by affidavit, deposition or at trial
includes a Who’s Who of Aspen citizenry -- folks who recalled
the location and uses of these roads and trails in the ‘40s, ‘50s
and ‘60s like Elizabeth Paepcke, Fritz and Fabe Benedict, Peggy
Rowland, Stanley Natal, Heather Tharp, and Phoebe Ryerson.
Third , the community owes continuing thanks to those Pitkin
County Commissioners who, after very nearly caving in to the
landowners’ attempts to privatize these public roads and trails
in the mid-‘80s, re-examined the importance of maintaining public
access and became convinced that there was compelling proof of their
legal stature, as developed by the Friends and by Jim and Merilee Auster.
The quiet leadership of the late Bob Child was pivotal in the early
years. The staying power of the current Commissioners was invaluable
in more recent years. Indispensable to the final settlement were the
skillful negotiations guided the past two years by Assistant County
Attorney Chris Seldin.
Finally, the road to success was paved by you, the community
of users of these roads and trails, as thousands of you respected private
property, honored those whose lands these roads and trails crossed,
and engendered trust in the peaceful co-existence of public access
and the privacy and security expectations of the homeowners. The seeds
for success were sown in 1997-98 when the HUNTER CREEK FOREVER bumper
sticker appeared on the scene, symbolizing the first opportunity for
the community to join forces, economically and emotionally, in order
to purchase and preserve the Hummingbird Lode in Van Horn Park -- a
potential 15,000 square foot home site looming over the valley floor
-- raising over $2 million in County, City and private financial support.
So “Are we now all Friends of Hunter Creek?”
The answer will be written as opportunities to work shoulder-to-shoulder
arise in the coming months and years. One will be our continued participation
in future Forest management plans, in order to insure preservation
of the flora and fauna which flourish in the public lands between the
National Forest boundary on Red Mountain and the Wilderness boundary
on Bald Knob. Another will be our vigorous defense of limited but permanent
24/7 public access to this fragile valley from collateral attack by
the Forest Service which has refused to join in the settlement. Yet
another will be ongoing volunteer efforts through organizations like
the Wilderness Workshop, ACES, and Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers
to preserve wildlife habitat, eliminate noxious weeds, allow unneeded
roads or trails to re-vegetate, and avoid the impacts of overuse.
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