Bluff Town Council received an update on April 25’s ribbon cutting and celebration for the Bluff River Trail, a multi-decade project that now includes an ADA-accessible segment. The report, given during the council’s May 1 special meeting, said the segment was funded through grants and partnerships and built by local contractors in cooperation with federal land managers.

Lou (community participant) told the council the Bluff River Trail has been “a 35 year project in the making,” beginning on private property and later incorporating isolated Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcels. The April 25 event included a ribbon cutting and guided hikes; organizers emphasized the new ADA-accessible section and community partnerships that made it possible.

Councilmember Anne Lappenen represented the town at the event, and Erin Nelson, the town manager, served as photographer for the celebration. Reporters to the council named several local and regional partners: the Bears Ears partnership secured grant funding from the World Monuments Fund to help pay for the ADA work; Tim Halper (design lead) of Jones & DeMille is credited with trail design; Sondraeger Concrete and other local contractors built portions of the trail; and Debbie Westfall led the environmental assessment and the NEPA review process that cleared the project for construction.

Speakers at the event included landowners Gary and Lawrence Guymon, who provided easements through the Guymon ranches; representatives identified as Vena Smith, Curtis Yannito and Hank Stevens; Jim Hook, who guided sections of the new trail; and Brett Hornsby, who thanked the World Monuments Fund and project partners. The report noted a community member in a wheelchair, Elliott, participated in the ribbon cutting; organizers and attendees celebrated the inclusive access the new segment provides.

Council members were told the trail lies entirely within the town boundary of Bluff but is not town-owned; parts of it cross or abut BLM-managed land and were enabled by easements and interagency cooperation. The council heard that the accessible segment is the only ADA stretch in the county and that photos from the celebration will be used to help secure additional funding for future projects. The report also noted benches and kiosks were installed with grant support.

The council did not take any formal action on the trail at the May 1 meeting; the item was a report to update the council and the public on the April 25 celebration.

Organizers said the full trail experience includes shorter panels and a longer loop that was described in the report as roughly three to five miles depending on the route; the report presented those distances as approximate.

The council discussion ended with an agreement to share select celebration photos on the town website to highlight the project and support future funding efforts.