Larimer County is looking to buy 6.88 acres just west of the Devil’s Backbone to protect the view and nesting raptors.
The section of land is a triangle-shaped piece just west of the keyhole — a distinct portion of the rock formation at the open space west of Loveland.
That view through the keyhole is “legendary,” said Carl Sorrentino, a member of the Larimer County Open Lands Advisory Board.
The new acreage would add to the open space, but that portion would not be open to the public.
“It’s very small,” described Kerri Rollins, Larimer County’s open lands program manager. “It’s just conserving the view shed, and it’s giving nesting raptors an additional buffer.”
The Devil’s Backbone Open Space is 2,198 acres with 12 miles of trails that connect to Rimrock Open Space and Horsetooth Mountain Open Space.
With 75,000 to 80,000 visitors each year, it is one of the most popular outdoor recreation spots among those preserved and opened by Larimer County through a voter-approved sales tax that kicked off in 1996. Last week, voters chose to extend that tax another 25 years.
In the spring, the fields around the backbone light up with the color of wildflowers, and nesting raptors make their home by the keyhole.
During that time, the trail to access that portion of the backbone is closed to provide a buffer for the red-tailed hawks.
