Hunter-Smuggler Cooperative Plan
Hummingbird Trail extension and more
The Hummingbird Trail extension is depicted in red (click to enlarge).
Pitkin County Open Space and Trails and its partners have several projects planned in the Hunter Creek Valley (pictured above) in summer 2017.
On tap this summer:
Management of the valley is guided by the Hunter-Smuggler Cooperative Plan, a 20-year collaborative stewardship plan that outlines improvements to forest health, wildlife habitat, recreation and educational opportunities for 4,861 acres of federal land adjacent to Aspen.
On tap this summer:
- Building an extension to the Hummingbird Trail (see map), which connects the Hunter Creek Valley floor and the Hunter Creek Toll Road on the north side of the valley. Work is expected in late July and August, with completion in September.
- Another habitat improvement project following last spring’s successful controlled burn on the north side of the valley. About 60 acres of mountain shrub will be cut as part of an ongoing effort to reduce wildfire fuel, and improve forest health and habitat.
Management of the valley is guided by the Hunter-Smuggler Cooperative Plan, a 20-year collaborative stewardship plan that outlines improvements to forest health, wildlife habitat, recreation and educational opportunities for 4,861 acres of federal land adjacent to Aspen.
More about the cooperative plan . . .
A successful partnership between Pitkin County and the City of Aspen has resulted in numerous forestry and recreational projects on the jointly owned Smuggler Mountain Open Space, a popular destination on the edge of Aspen.
Those efforts inspired a unique collaboration between the county and city, the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and the U.S. Forest Service, resulting in the Hunter Creek-Smuggler Mountain Cooperative Plan.
The community-based plan involved participation from local recreation, conservation and environmental groups, as well as agencies and jurisdictions. It outlines recommendations for forest health, wildlife habitat, recreation and education projects on more than 4,000 acres of the White River National Forest adjacent to Aspen.
Those efforts inspired a unique collaboration between the county and city, the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and the U.S. Forest Service, resulting in the Hunter Creek-Smuggler Mountain Cooperative Plan.
The community-based plan involved participation from local recreation, conservation and environmental groups, as well as agencies and jurisdictions. It outlines recommendations for forest health, wildlife habitat, recreation and education projects on more than 4,000 acres of the White River National Forest adjacent to Aspen.
Download the Forest Service's Final Decision on the cooperative plan
| Hunter-Smuggler Plan Decision Notice - USFS |
For more information contact: Gary Tennenbaum, Open Space and Trails director
gary.tennenbaum@pitkincounty.com
970-920-5355
gary.tennenbaum@pitkincounty.com
970-920-5355
