Granby to celebrate town’s new conservation easement with ribbon cutting

The town of Granby is hosting a “conservation celebration” to mark the finalization of the 748 acre Granby Highlands-Trails Conservation Easement that will eventually become a recreation destination for residents and visitors while also preserving wildlife habitat for a variety of critters.

The event will take place on Saturday, June 7 from 10-11:30 a.m. with the ribbon cutting taking place at 10:30 a.m.

Since there is no parking available on site, the town is directing traffic to park in the lot for the Granby trails and dog park off Summit Trail Road near Sun Outdoors. A free shuttle will be transporting people to the celebration and back.

Attendees can enter a drawing to win gift cards from local businesses.

At the end of 2024, the town secured the conservation easement located north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and 34. The land will be used for both public non-motorized trails and habitat preservation.

The area is home to a variety of wildlife like deer, elk, pronghorn, bald eagles, and occasionally moose and river otters. It is also part of the last known habitat to host greater sage-grouse in Middle Park.

As part of the conservation easement agreement, 300 acres will be reserved for wildlife habitat in a “no-disturbance zone” with no public access. The agreement also permits for about 10 miles of trails to be built in areas outside the no-disturbance zone.

During the event, residents can see the property for themselves and share feedback on future trail designs and other recreational desires. Norris Design, the organization leading the town’s parks and recreation master plan update, will be at the event to hear from residents directly about what they want.

Local conservation and sustainability organizations will also be present at the event.

“Whether you hike, bike, birdwatch, or just love being outside, this is your chance to be part of something lasting,” the town wrote in a social media post.

Granby accepting feedback on parks and recreation master plan

The town of Granby currently has a survey open to collect feedback that will be used as to update the town’s parks and recreation master plan.

The town is asking resident for feedback to better understand the resident’s needs.

Currently the town is looking at the master plan update through three components:

• Recreation center: Studying the potential and community desire for an indoor recreation center.
• Parks: Reimagining the layout and amenities of Granby’s existing park spaces, as well as how Granby’s parks can work together to create a more cohesive system.
• Trails: Developing a trails plan for the town-owned trails parcel for implementation in 2026.