Summit Valley Horse Center

Quikrete, the current owners of the Peak Materials operation in Silverthorne, has applied with the Summit County Planning Commission to extend its Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to mine aggregate for an additional 15 years. According to the application...The application proposes continuing operating with the same approved uses as the previous 30 years and does not request to change any of the operating conditions, or site plan as outlined in the previous CUP. No new structures are proposed. Quikrete requests that the new permit allows the continuation of the existing operations for the next 15 years. According to the application, Quikrete’s operational lease term with the landowner extends until 2057.

The key question is when Quikrete finally depletes aggregate at its Peak and Maryland Creek Ranch site, where will it go next for material? Peak, then owned by the Kilgore Company, proposed to mine gravel on 80 acres purchased by the company from Julie Hillyard for $4 million back in 2018.

At the February 25th Lower Blue River Stakeholders Meeting in Frisco, participants discussed current river conditions and the possibility of a coordinated Lower Blue River sustainability plan. The group reviewed hydrologic and snowpack conditions, fisheries and water quality monitoring updates, and ongoing projects, including the Blue Valley Ranch–BLM Land Exchange Project, as well as other conservation initiatives. The discussion also included the Green Mountain Reservoir put-in, safety considerations, and user survey needs. The meeting concluded with a conversation about ways to engage the community in a shared stewardship of the Lower Blue River.

Want to know more about noxious weeds and what to do about them? Click the link below and check out information provided by the Middle Park Conservation District.

https://www.middleparkcd.com/noxious-weeds-in-summit-county

Here's a preview:

List “A” Species

List A species are rare noxious weeds for which state-wide eradication is the goal. There are 2 List A species present in Summit County.

Doug arrived in Summit County in 1974. As a college student he worked on the initial phase of the Henderson Mill site. The Dercum family allowed Doug to live on Cataract Creek Ranch in exchange for work on the cabin. That work turned into a 35-year project, as Doug and his wife acquired the ranch via 8 different parcels. In 2020, Doug was instrumental in assembling a public-private partnership with Summit County and Flanigan Land and Cattle to preserve the adjacent 1100 acres of the Knorr property, along the west side of Green Mountain Reservoir. This was the third conservation easement that Doug and his family signed with Colorado Cattleman’s Agricultural Land Trust to preserve the Cataract Creek Valley, just as Doug first experienced it over 50 years ago.

As we begin 2026, Rachel Ruiz, of Boreas Consulting, is no longer serving in the role Executive Director of Friends of the Lower Blue River. We thank Rachel for her energy and creativity demonstrated in 2025. We appreciate her effort launching the Blue Valley Ranch collaboration, maintaining conversations with key stakeholder groups and assisting with the community use data collection process. Rachel maintained and grew connections with many FOLBR community organizations, laying the groundwork for future partnerships. We wish her well.

The Summit County Outdoor Coalition (SCOC) is part of Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Regional Partnership Initiative funded by CPW and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO). BRWG in partnership with FOLBR and Summit County Sustainability, seek to address a range of access and environmental issues facing our community as we strive to balance the health of our natural resources with outdoor recreation through this coalition.

SCOC has completed its Charter and Organizational Guidelines and is preparing to conduct a Community Needs Assesment of partners in our community to determine the best path forward for research and outreach. Together with local organizations and alongside other coalitions, the Summit County Outdoor Coalition joins a statewide initiative working to ensure that Colorado’s land, water, and wildlife thrive while also providing for equitable and quality outdoor recreation experiences.

                            Nancy Lippe

Nancy has dedicated her career to learning, teaching, leading, and innovating in the education and community sectors. As a philanthropy advisor with PhilanthropyConnect, she understands the challenges and opportunities not only of being a grant seeker, but also a grant maker. Nancy has run numerous community based programs and initiatives, and taught philanthropy to youth, teens, families, college students, and adults.

She has served on numerous nonprofit boards, and has been a site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Nancy has been a member of the Summit Foundation's Executive Volunteers Corps and the Summit County Arts Forum. She and her family own Columbine Ranch on Harrigan Creek in Silverthorne, growing mountain horse hay for local horse owners.

                                       Sam Kirk

Congratuations to outgoing Board President Sam Kirk named FOLBR's 2024 Founders Award Recipent. Thank you Sam for all your support and ciommitment to the Lower Blue River Valley.

Hannah Ohlson of Summit Fire & EMS on wildfire mitigation and prevention

  Kurt Dallow and Tom Koehler at KSS Community Days

In July, Friends of the Lower Blue River partnered with the Keystone Science School to talk about water, wildlife and the climate at KSS's Community Days. FOLBR Board Member Kurt Dallow and FOLBR's Director of Climate Action, Tom Koehler spent the day with about 150 youngsters. Overall, the kids were enthused to hear about the importance of water in Colorado, our river system, the impact of beavers and they even enjoyed a scavenger hunt. Thanks to Keystone Science School and we look forward to partnering more with KSS in the future.

FOLBR Members st Historic Slate Creek Hall

RSVP for Free Tickets on the Eventbrtite Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-friends-of-the-lower-blue-river-annual-gathering-tickets-934146345867?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Friends of the Lower Blue River
Annual Gathering
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Historic Slate Creek Hall
11:00am to 2:00pm
Celebrating the Lower Blue River Valley Community
Hear the history and stories from multi-generational ranches
Adam Poe-Pebble Creek Ranch
Peter Roseberry-Brush Creek Ranch
We'll update you on the BLM/Blue Valley Ranch Land Swap

Admission is free
Buffet Lunch from Brother's BBQ
Music from Randall McKinnon
Come meet your neighbors and celebrate the
Lower Blue River Valley

Four area environmental non-profits come together to present a series of programs over the next four months. The first event is June 19th hosted by HC3 at Mi Casa in Breckenridge. All the events are from 5:30 to 7:00pm. Come join the conversation about our environment and our most important resource.  Mark your calendars for each event, especially FOLBR's on September 18th at the Thisrsty Pika in Silverthorne.

Thank you to everyone who came out to help clean up Highway 9 between mile markers 111 and 113. Even though it is a relatively small stretch of the highway, it makes a difference. Just look at how much trash we collected.

We especially want to thank Lynn Amstutz for her leadership over the years organizing this event. She is passing the baton to Susan Knopf, who will coordinate the Clean Up in the years ahead.

Wolverines are going to be reintroduced into the Colorado environment. Planning is underway to achieve that goal. What's involved? What does it mean for you? What is the timeline for reintroduction? Join Friends of the Lower Blue River for an evening conversation with Dan Gibbs, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. Get the answers to these questions and more from the source.

The event will be at the Silverthorne Pavilion on Tuesday, June 4th from 6:00 to 8:00pm. A cash bar for beer and wine will be available. Admission is free, but donations to Friends of the Lower Blue River are always welcome and accepted.