WESTMINSTER — The purchase of a 25-acre tract of land favored by bald eagles helps complete a huge swath of protected open space in this city and beyond.
Westminster worked with the Trust for Public Land, Great Outdoors Colorado and Jefferson County Open Space to buy the 25 acres of open land north of Standley Lake Regional Park.
That relatively tiny piece helps create a contiguous stretch of more than 10,000 acres of protected land in the region, officials say.
The 25-acre parcel is considered a top priority by the city’s open space advisory board.
“Acquiring this parcel will help protect wildlife habitat, specifically for the bald eagles that nest nearby in Standley Lake Regional Park,” said open space coordinator Heather Cronenberg.
Westminster and the Trust for Public Land secured a $771,000 lottery grant from Great Outdoors Colorado to buy the property.
A grant from the Rocky Flats Natural Resource Damages Fund and open-space funds from Westminster also helped seal the deal.
“This addition to the Westminster Open Space system is a great amenity for the citizens of the city and Jefferson County,” said Hillary Merritt, Trust for Public Land project manager.
Westminster will incorporate the 25-acre parcel into the Westminster Hills Open Space site — a 1,000-acre recreational area with trails and an off-leash dog park — effectively shielding the land from ever being developed, said officials.
Jefferson County, meanwhile, will hold a conservation easement designed to protect the natural, scenic and recreation values of the property.
The parcel, at the northeast corner of Alkire Street and West 100th Avenue, is among the last remaining private properties within the Westminster Hills Open Space area, officials said.
Westminster began buying property in the area for open space in 1988.
The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and the Great Western Open Space in Broomfield are within a mile of the parcel.
Those areas, combined with the 2,200-acre Standley Lake Regional Park, create a contiguous swath of more than 10,000 acres of protected land in the region, officials said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
