AURORA | Arapahoe County taxpayers in 2010 bought 2,800 acres of open space on the eastern plains south of Byers. Fourteen years later, the county government is inviting public input into how that property can best serve as a recreational area.
County officials say the masterplan for the Bijou Basin Open Space must have low impact on the land while “preserving and celebrating the property’s active agricultural uses, such as dry land farming and cattle grazing.” Options for the property include a multi-use trail system, parking at the trailhead, picnic areas and restrooms.
The county has arranged three ways the public may weigh in on those details:
- An online Survey at surveymonkey.com/r/BijouBasinSurvey1 will be available through Sept. 30
- A booth where staffers will solicit input at Bennet Days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 in Trupp Park, 105 Palmer Avenue in Bennett
- And a public open house on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at the Kelver Library, 585 S. Main Street, Byers, between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Located about five miles south of Byers at the junction of Quincy Avenue (CR30) and Bradbury Road (CR173), the land for the recreational area was purchased with funds from the county’s open space sales tax. It includes a 1,470-acre conservation easement held by the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust. The property is adjacent to patches of conservation land such as Mule Gulch Open Space and the West Bijou Ranch.
Visit the project website at www.arapahoeco.gov/bijoubasin for more information.