High Line Canal conservation group receives $350,000 as part of full canal protection goal

BY TEDDY JACOBSEN TJACOBSEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e High Line Canal, which winds 71 miles across the metro area, will soon be permanently protected as regional open space.

Great Outdoors Colorado, an environmental nonpro t, announced in June a $350,000 grant to High Line Canal Conservancy to help permanently protect the canal as a continuous recreational, ecological, historical and stormwater resource.

“Permanent protection of the canal has been a top-line goal of our board and organization since the beginning in 2014,” High Line Canal Conservancy CEO Harriet Crittenden LaMair said in a press release. “It’s extremely exciting to be actively working with Denver Water, Arapahoe County and other local governmental partners toward a permanent protection vehicle.” e canal spans 860 acres and its associated trail system connects walkers, hikers, runners, cyclists, horseback riders and others to thousands more acres of parks and open spaces. e canal runs through parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Douglas counties, spanning a solid slice of eastern metro area from north to south.

“It’s important for the community to know that the canal is preserved permanently for them to use freely into the future,” High Line Canal Conservancy Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships Suzanna Fry Jones told Colorado Community Media.

Jones said Denver Water will maintain ownership of the canal, but has been moving its customers to more sustainable sources of irrigation water in recent years.

Denver Water Senior Community Relations Specialist Jimmy Luthye said they plan to play an active role in the ongoing discussions about the canal’s future.

“ e evolution of the public’s use of the canal for recreation and stormwater management, along with its original role as a water delivery method is one of the reasons why Denver Water and regional partners, including cities, counties, park and ood districts and stormwater management entities, have partnered with the High Line Canal e conservancy is expected to complete legal work to secure protection, gather documentation of the present conditions of the canal and assess potential future projects with the grant.

Conservancy to assist their mission to preserve, protect and enhance the 71-mile canal,” Luthye said in an email to Colorado Community Media.

Great Outdoors Colorado’s Director of Programs Chris Yuan-Farrell said the process will likely involve a conservation easement, which is a legal agreement that limits land use to protect its conservation values. Yuan-Farrell added that the grant is part of the environmental nonpro t’s land acquisition program, which supports urban and rural habitat protection priorities and increases access to the outdoors.

“ is is a substantial resource for Colorado to have and now it will be permanent,” Yuan-Farrell said. “Whereas before, there was always an opportunity for Denver Water to sell that property to somebody else. is grant helps take that o the table.”

He said the funding provided by

Great Outdoors Colorado should last the conservancy for years to come.

“ is is a fund for the conservancy to maintain and grow,” YuanFarrell said. “It’s like seed funding for a hopefully larger substantial endowment with the expectation that perhaps the municipalities and counties that have land by the canal will contribute to it.” e nonpro t has awarded multiple grants to the High Line Canal Conservancy over the years. In 2022, Great Outdoors Colorado provided $41,100 to help rid parts of the canal of an invasive species.

Great Outdoors Colorado invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help with the preservation and enhancement of parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces, according to its website.

“ eir funding has been so impactful to all of the work that we’ve done,” Jones said. “And this is the next big stage of our work for permanent protection.”

Jones said more details about the canal’s function as a fully conserved space are expected to come this fall.

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