Apr 22, 2021
The Colorado Lottery Recognizes the Eagle County Open Space’s Brush Creek Valley Ranch and Open Space (BCVROS) project in the Use of Lottery Funds with a Starburst Award.
This parcel, formerly known as Hardscrabble Ranch and renamed the Brush Creek Valley Ranch and Open Space (BCVROS), is owned and managed by Eagle County and is protected by a conservation easement held by Eagle Valley Land Trust. In 2020, with $3,833,160 funding from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), $10,000 from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), and additional partners, this 131-acre inholding to the property was purchased by Eagle County, and the BCVROS conservation easement was amended to include the additional acreage. Now, the Brush Creek Valley Ranch and Open Space is a 1,671-acre conserved open space that is host to a working agricultural operation, numerous multi-use trails, and significant wildlife habitat, and is considered the crown jewel of Eagle County’s Open Space program.
The project would not have been possible without these significant Lottery contributions via GOCO and CPW. The purchase of the initial 1,540 acres effectively zeroed out Eagle County’s Open Space fund and required bridge financing from The Conservation Fund (CTF). The large investment by GOCO in this project reflects the pressing need to conserve community assets represented by open space, working agricultural operations, opportunities for high quality dispersed recreation, and the protection and conservation of critical wildlife habitat.
The conservation of the Brush Creek Valley, south of the Town of Eagle, has been a decades-long community priority that came to fruition in the last few years. Thanks to GOCO funding in 2017, the remaining undeveloped 1,540 acres was purchased by Eagle County for $15.5 million, ending the developer’s vision for a sprawling subdivision in the heart of the wide agricultural valley.
The conservation of BCVROS both helps to maintain the agricultural livelihood and ranching history of the Brush Creek Valley, while also providing a healthy community space for recreation and education.
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More than $10.5 million in Lottery funds are represented in 11 winning projects distributed statewide through grants via Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), the Conservation Trust Fund (CTF), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), and Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST).
