© 2024 Aspen Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Officials To Consider Updates To Carbondale-Crested Butte Trail Plan

Elizabeth Stewart-Severy
/
Aspen Public Radio

On Tuesday, Pitkin County Commissioners and the Open Space and Trails Board will hear updates on a draft plan for a trail that could eventually connect Carbondale and Crested Butte.

 

This latest version includes updates based on more than 250 survey responses and comments from partner groups like the Colorado Department of Transportation and the White River National Forest.

Staff recommends adding funding for a Forest Protection Officer who would enforce seasonal closures that are meant to protect sensitive wildlife. There is also an increased focus on acquiring conservation easements.

Open Space and Trails staff notes the plan is meant to be a starting point; there are several areas where there is not yet a recommended alignment for the trail, and it is expected to take decades to complete.

The joint meeting is a chance for board members and commissioners to weigh in on the suggested changes.

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
Related Content