MEADOW CREEK
Nestled
between Stephen's Park and the Meadow Creek condominiums in the Intermountain
neighborhood in West Vail, is a 2.6-acre parcel that was, in 2005, destined to
be developed. However, neighbors and friends who regularly enjoy Stephen's Park
had a different idea. They wanted to preserve the area as open space for the
enjoyment of the public and to protect the area for wildlife that wander onto it
from adjacent US Forest Service lands.
Led by Domini
Zopf and Dona Stever, a small group approached the Town of Vail to determine its
interest in purchasing this site and adding it to the Town's open-space
inventory. When the Town agreed to pay $230,000 towards a $360,000 purchase
price, the group turned to the Eagle Valley Land Trust to help find the balance.
The Trust assisted with raising $65,000 from friends and neighbors and helped
obtain another $65,000 from the Eagle County Open Space Fund in order to close
the deal. This parcel, protected by a conservation easement held by the Land
Trust, remains a popular site for walking, wildlife watching and, in the winter,
tubing and tobogganing.
