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Breckenridge nature preserve faces environmental damage yet the town decided it will remain open for recreation

Under the BreckConnect gondola on Peak 8, the Cucumber Gulch Nature Preserve is home to mountain wetlands in Breckenridge. Breckenridge will be making changes to one of the gulch's most-used trails. (Liz Copan, Summit Daily News archive)
Under the BreckConnect gondola on Peak 8, the Cucumber Gulch Nature Preserve is home to mountain wetlands in Breckenridge. Breckenridge will be making changes to one of the gulch’s most-used trails. (Liz Copan, Summit Daily News archive)
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By Kit Geary, Summit Daily

Over the past month, the town of Breckenridge has been debating the fate of one of its most cherished nature preserves.

At an April 9 meeting, Breckenridge Town Council was asked to contemplate the governmentap role in preserving Cucumber Gulch Nature Preserve and whether recreational access should continue to be permitted in the area, which has already suffered environmental setbacks due to human-caused impacts.

Council decided at its May 14 meeting to continue to allow recreational access to the area, while still ensuring some preservation efforts be followed through on, following a month of discussion and input from community members.

Now a small portion of the Toad Alley Trail, which bisects the nature preserve, will be realigned near the base of Peak 7 at Breckenridge Ski Resort, and it could happen as soon as this summer. The other option would be to decommission the existing portion of the trail that bisects the gulch and have it pop out at Peak 8 instead of Peak 7, taking that recreational access away from the nature preserve.

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