Edwards – In the course of a four-hour float down the Eagle River, this 72-acre segment marked by cottonwoods and willows seems to flash by in an instant, a mere blip on a landscape dominated by larger tracts and more sweeping concerns.
Yet this riverside plot rises to lofty significance when one considers what it someday can be – and it what it might have been.
Once earmarked for intense commercial development, this parcel just upstream from the confluence with Lake Creek now appears destined to become the key to a larger block of public access on one of the state’s best fishing streams.
Imagine a mile and a half of public water in the midst of some of the most expensive and intensely developed mountain real estate in the West.
Bill Perry can.
As owner of Fly Fishing Outfitters just upstream in Avon, Perry has watched the Eagle River Valley steadily evolve into a thatch of commercial development and trophy homes. The same fate seemed likely for this 72-acre spur of a historic ranch owned by Bruce Eaton, whose father, Earl, co-founded Vail ski resort.
When a developer allowed an option on the property to expire last year, the Vail Valley Foundation quickly stepped in with its offer. To date, the foundation has raised $11 million of the $12 million needed to reach a deal that must be sealed by early September.
“We’d all rather see a land preserve than a shopping mall,” Perry said while rowing down the river last week. “For my money, this is one of the best places to fish on the Eagle and the state of Colorado.”
What Perry and foundation activists envision is an extended corridor linking the proposed Eagle Valley Preserve with 105 private acres immediately to the west and an adjacent 75 acres owned by Eagle County to form an extended showcase of prime public angling.
The intermediate 105 acres, previously part of a gravel mining operation, has been optioned by the same developer. But much of the land is contained in a protected wetland and lies in a flood plain unsuitable for development, creating a potential for negotiated public use of the river.
This Eagle River Preserve initiative underscores the continued open-space enterprise of Eagle County, which has committed half of the purchase price. The county previously took the lead in acquiring a key addition to Sylvan Lake State Park as well as a conservation easement on Bair Ranch at the east entrance to Glenwood Canyon.
Plans for the preserve require it to be returned to its historic contour, then seeded with grasses and wildflowers. A joint action between the county and Eagle Valley Land Trust would establish a paradigm of open space and river access.
The acquisition is particularly meaningful considering the continued advance of the Eagle as a premier fishery with a particularly rich component of quality brown trout.
With a recent drop in flow, the river has rounded into prime condition amid a blizzard of insect hatches, beginning with a daybreak banquet of midges and tricos, followed at midmorning by several species of caddis.
Perry favors a Peacock Stimulator pattern in size 16, a fly that maintains a visible profile above the water, for his primary caddis imitation. Cloudy periods may summon an emergence of the large Green Drake mayflies, imitated in size 12.
“That’s the only thing that will get me off my caddis,” said Perry, whose shop dispenses guide service and information about current conditions at 970-476-3474.
Anglers also should look for an early afternoon emergence of two other mayflies, known to anglers as Pale Morning Duns and Red Quills.
The predominant brown trout don’t grow much past 14 inches in the upper reaches around Avon, but lengthen progressively downstream.
Udall to attend trout benefit
U.S. Representative Mark Udall and noted photographer John Fielder will highlight an August benefit for Eagle River Preserve and Wild Trout Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
The event is scheduled for Aug. 29 at Mile High Station, 2027 W. Colfax Ave. Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door and information may be obtained by calling 303-717-9047. Contributions to the preserve fund may be made by calling the Vail Valley Foundation, 970-949-1999 or online at www.eagleriverpreserve.com.
Listen to Charlie Meyers at 9 a.m. each Saturday on “The Fan Outdoors,” radio KKFN 950 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com.
