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Woodland Park celebrates $90,000 in community donations to preserve 20-acre Avenger Open Space
Summary
Parks advisory board chair and donors were recognized for raising $90,000 to complement grant funding and secure a 20-acre open space; next steps include NEPA coordination with U.S. Forest Service, a conservation easement, master planning and a wildfire mitigation project July 11–20.
The City of Woodland Park on March 20 recognized community donors who contributed $90,000 to help protect the 20‑acre Avenger Open Space, preserving the site in perpetuity and leveraging grant funding for conservation and future trail and restoration work.
Jeff Webb, chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, told the council the Avenger property is the largest open‑space purchase in the city’s history and that private donations, combined with a Great Outdoors Colorado (GoCo) grant and city funds, made the protection possible. "Without their donations, this property would have been lost forever," Webb said.
Webb outlined next steps: staff are coordinating with the U.S. Forest Service on a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental assessment and permitting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is developing a conservation easement to protect the land in perpetuity, and the city will engage in master planning for future uses. Webb also announced a wildfire mitigation project planned for July 11–20 that will target about 30 acres and be conducted with Team Rubicon; Webb said the work is intended to improve habitat and reduce wildfire risk while being environmentally focused.
Webb said donations will be used for trail building and restoration work beyond the amount required by the grant. He thanked partner organizations that participated in the project, including Palmer Land Conservancy, Teller Trail Team and Great Outdoors Colorado.
Council and staff emphasized the project's long‑term conservation goals and encouraged continued community donations. Webb noted the city remains open to additional donations, which are tax deductible and can be submitted to the city or Palmer Land Conservancy.
