Photographs of Aspen Village mobile homes and
Snowmass Creek are not likely to oust images of the Maroon Bells
Wilderness from Aspen, Colo., postcards and calendars. But the
150-unit trailer park and a small but valuable water right from
Snowmass Creek have jumped into the conservation limelight. Their
fame comes from an effort by citizens, environmental groups and
municipalities to thwart development on 879 acres previously owned
by Armand and Celeste Bartos.
At the Bartos’
request, the Virginia-based Conservation Fund purchased the Aspen
Village Inc. land at a discount in 1994. The fund then spearheaded
a four-year project that culminated in the Jan. 12 transfer of a
water right worth more than $1 million to the state’s citizens. The
Colorado Water Conservation Board will use the water, once slated
for snowmaking at the Snowmass ski resort, to protect a fishery and
maintain stream levels during seasonal lows and drought
years.
“Most of the land will be preserved, and
affordable housing, a rarity in the Roaring Fork Valley, has been
established,” said Conservation Fund vice president Sydney Macy.
“The transfer of the water right is the final step toward
fulfilling the Bartos’ dreams.” Their dreams included selling the
trailer park to its occupants, preserving the land for wildlife,
open space, ranching and farming, and doing “something creative”
with the water.
The Conservation Fund is trying
to sell 828 of the 879 acres for $3.9 million and then reinvest any
profits in future conservation efforts. A conservation easement,
which limits development to a single house “envelope,” will be held
by the Aspen Valley Land Trust.
A Colorado Water
Court must still approve the water right transfer but “it is
unlikely any major opposition will emerge,” says Macy. Dan
Merriman, chief investigator for the Water Conservation Board, is
also optimistic: “This sets an important precedent for future water
conservation projects.” The Water Conservation Board is seeking
parties interested in dedicating water rights for conservation.
Contact the Water Conservation Board at 303/866-3441. – J. T.
Thomas
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Water for people and fish.
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