SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit County finished off 2009 with 300 acres of newly protected open space. The new land acquisitions, including 129 acres in Mayflower Gulch, bring the total area of county open space to 14,000 acres.

“As small as our program is, it has been nothing but successful,” said Scott Hummer, who chairs the Summit County Open Space Advisory Council, an 11-member citizen board. “We live in a community where people really value open space and the recreational opportunities that come from acquiring these lands. We definitely do our homework before we go into a deal, so we get the biggest bang for the buck.”

The “bucks” used to purchase open space through the county government's open space and trails program flow from a voter-approved mill levy that has been in place since 1995. Local citizens have voted in support of the tax four times, usually by considerable margins.

2009 highlights

Among the highlights in 2009's open space acquisitions are three parcels near the foot of Hoosier Pass, at the headwaters of the Blue River. Brill Wetlands, the Valley of the Blue lots, Sawlog and Wonderful Placer together make up a 32-acre wetlands complex in the Monte Christo Gulch area.

“From an environmental standpoint, the acquisition of Brill Wetlands was pretty significant,” Hummer said.

Also in the Upper Blue Basin, the county acquired the Swan River PUD, two lots adjacent to the Horseshoe Gulch trailhead. The land, which contains the hull of an old mining dredge boat, will eventually be home to a trail loop with interpretive signs to educate hikers on the area's natural and historical features.

In the Snake River Basin, the program acquired nine mining claims on the flanks of Grays and Torreys peaks. Three acquisitions in the area will allow a rerouting of the Continental Divide Trail, so hikers will be able to stay along the ridgeline between Revenue Mountain and Morgan Peak, rather than dipping down along Peru Creek and hiking back up again.

The county's largest acquisition was a 129-acre parcel in Mayflower Gulch — a popular backcountry ski spot between Copper Mountain and Fremont Pass that had considerable potential for gold mining.

“We've been trying to acquire that for a number of years. It's been a hodgepodge of different mining claims. Protecting that area under the banner of open space was a pretty big accomplishment,” Hummer said.

“Mayflower Gulch is one of the only places in Summit County where you can get into a high-alpine cirque,” said Brian Lorch, director of Summit County Open Space and Trails Department.

The newly acquired, 45-acre Ottoborgo parcel at the southern tip of Green Mountain Reservoir will continue to serve as an important wildlife corridor between Ptarmigan Peaks Wilderness Area and Gore Range Wilderness Area. The land also preserves almost entirely unbroken views of the stunning Lower Blue Basin between Ute Pass Road and the reservoir.

On the trails front, the county made new progress in 2009 on the recreation path over Swan Mountain Road. The Sapphire Section extends the existing pathway all the way to the Sapphire Point parking lot at the top of the road.

“We were within days of paving the whole thing, but then we got that early-season snow,” Lorch said.

The county plans to pave the new section paved as soon as it dries out, most likely in May or June of next year.

Julie Sutor can be reached at (970) 668-4630 or jsutor@summitdaily.com.