FOLBR - Friends Of the Lower Blue River

Whats Happening

Blue Valley Ranch/BLM Land Swap Approved

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved the Blue Valley Land Exchange, netting hundreds more acres of open space in Summit and Grand Counties for outdoor activities. The deal also provides for millions of dollars worth of recreation and ecological improvements, including development of two new recreation areas — the Confluence Recreation Area and the Green Mountain Recreation Area — with trails, walk-in fishing access, picnic tables, wheelchair accessible fishing platforms, and more. The BLM found the exchange is overwhelmingly in the public interest.
 
The Blue Valley Land Exchange allows 1,830 acres of private land owned by Blue Valley Ranch to be transferred for 1,489 acres of public land. Under the deal, both Green Mountain and San Toy Mountain are protected from any future development. As a result, there is a net gain of approximately 1,100 acres of public upland lands providing a variety of recreational opportunities like hunting, hiking and wildlife viewing. 
 
The Confluence Recreation Area is located where the Blue and Colorado rivers meet. “Checkerboard” ownership is now consolidated, And the public will see real benefits.  Two miles of contiguous public river access will be created by adding one mile of formerly private river ownership  to one mile of BLM ownership.  Roughly three-quarters of a mile of that stretch will be restored to support a Gold Medal fishery. The Confluence Recreation Area will also have 2.3 miles of newly constructed walking trails, picnic tables, wheelchair accessible fishing platforms, parking and a new take-out for river floaters. A permanent rest-stop and take-out for floaters will be created at Spring Creek Bridge. A second permanent rest-stop will be created about 3 miles downstream of Spring Creek. 
 
The new recreation design features and improvements, including the Confluence Recreation Area and the Green Mountain Recreation Area, are being funded by Blue Valley Ranch. The investment is projected to be $2-3 million. The ranch will establish an endowment for the long-term operation and maintenance of the new recreation design features.
 
This land swap is supported by stakeholders in the Blue River Valley including FOLBR; The Colorado Wildlife Federation; The Colorado Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited; The Blue Valley Sportsman Club; The Colorado Whitewater and American Whitewater Associations.

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