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May 11 - May 17, 2006
News
It’s official: Vassar Meadows belongs to the public, now
By Kathy Heicher
Enterprise Editor
The people representing the agencies who helped make Vassar Meadow on East Brush Creek a public property joined together for an informal celebration last week. From left are Eagle District Ranger Cal Wettstein; Christine Quinlan of The Conservation Fund; Martha Dugan Rehm, executive vice president and general counsel for Vail Resorts; Steve Reinella, lands group supervisor for the White River National Forest, and Adam Poe of the Western Land Group. That’s Adam Mountain in the background.
Private, public agencies close five-year land deal

The average visitor to East Brush Creek this spring won’t notice anything different about the approximate 500 acres of wetlands that make up Vassar Meadows. It’s still a beautiful parcel of land, with outstanding wildlife and recreation values.

Still, there’s been a significant change in the status of the property. It now officially belongs to the public, following the completion of a complex land exchange deal involving the Forest Service, Vail Resorts, and a land conservation group. Thirty years ago, the then-private property was slated to become the base for a new ski resort.

Taking the land from private property to public property status was a deal that has taken over five years to complete. It was often a sort of house-of-cards scenario, involving multiple agencies, differing political agendas, and an unusual partnership between public and private entities.

“From our standpoint, this is a real success story, said Martha Dugan Rehm, executive vice president and general counsel for Vail Resorts. The ski company played a major role in the acquisition of the property.

“The preservation of this land for wildlife will bring people enjoyment for years to come,” she added. The Vassar Meadows parcel figures into a recent land exchange in which Vail Resorts received 5.13 acres of Forest Service land at the base of Vail Mountain that will allow the company to proceed with its “Front Door” redevelopment project. In the exchange, the public also received 135.5 acres of land along South Game Creek, also valued as wildlife habitat. All of the lands are within Eagle County.

“We are extremely excited about this land exchange all the way around. Vail Resorts, The Conservation Fund and the Forest Service should all be very proud of what we have accomplished with this exchange and the companion donation of land,” said District Ranger Cal Wettstein.

The portion of the exchange located at Vassar Meadows, which lies along East Brush Creek, completes a multi-year effort initiated by a broad coalition of partners. This coalition includes Colorado State Parks, Eagle County, the Town of Eagle, Great Outdoors Colorado and The Conservation Fund. The partners joined forces to protect nearly 1,800 acres along East and West Brush Creek, which were previously slated for development as a part of the proposed Adam’s Rib Ski Area.

The land was purchased in 2000 by The Conservation Fund from Kummer Development Corporation. Approximately 1,300 acres went to Colorado State Parks as an addition to Sylvan Lake State Park. The remaining acres at Vassar Meadows were held by The Conservation Fund until the lands could be transferred to the Forest Service as an addition to the White River National Forest. The Vassar Meadows parcel is valued at $6.5 million.

“The Forest Service is the unsung hero of this complicated land exchange,” said Christine Quinlan of The Conservation Fund.

Adam Poe of Western Land Group, a company that specializes in such land exchanges, noted that the Vassar Meadows deal was unusual.

“Everyone shook hands and said, ‘let’s make it work.’ That doesn’t happen much these days,” he noted.

The 5.13 acres that Vail Resorts received at the base of Vail Mountain will continue to be used for skier services, but will allow a larger “Front Door” redevelopment at the base area to move forward. In exchange, the public received 475 acres of prized wildlife habitat, wetlands and recreational lands at Vassar Meadows, south of Eagle, below Vail Mountain’s South Game Creek Bowl, and a land donation of 117.5 acres, valued at $1.6 million, from The Conservation Fund. Vail has also conveyed a 135.5-acre parcel in the Game Creek drainage, west of Game Creek Bowl. This parcel is within the Vail Mountain Ski Area permit boundary, and contains high-quality wildlife habitat.

“This is great example of business working cooperatively with all levels of government and the nonprofit sector to achieve a result that balances the economic necessities of Colorado’s ski industry with the protection of wildlife habitat and recreation areas for future generations,” said The Conservation Fund’s western director, Tom Macy. “Thanks to the support of the Forest Service and the commitment of Vail Resorts, we are ensuring the protection of some of the most scenic and valuable wetlands in the state.”

A Vail homeowner, Luanne Wells, has filed a complaint in federal distinct court contesting the land swap. Wells is arguing that the “Front Door” parcel was undervalued by a Forest Service appraisal.