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Commissioners approve Stillwater Bend conservation easement to protect St. Vrain backwater and habitat
Summary
The board approved purchase of a 140-acre conservation easement at Stillwater Bend for $1.7 million to protect wetlands, 1,700 feet of St. Vrain Creek and habitat for sensitive species, while allowing continued agricultural use of hay fields.
The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners voted Dec. 9 to acquire a conservation-easement interest in the Stillwater Bend property, a 140-acre parcel near Hygiene that includes wetlands and an off-channel backwater area of St. Vrain Creek.
Melissa Arnold, a land officer in the county's real estate division, said the acquisition would reconfigure three existing parcels into four: an 88-acre preserve with a conservation easement, two house lots subject to conservation easements or restrictive covenants and one smaller lot; the purchase price is $1,700,000. Arnold said the preserved parcel "will have a conservation easement that will protect the abundant conservation values, including the ecological backwater area and the St. Vrain Creek corridor." She also noted the landowner will allow continued ecological research access for species-restoration projects, including a northern red‑belly dace recovery effort.
During the public hearing, virtual speakers questioned the county's broader weed-management practices and historical compliance with the integrated weed management plan. Amanda Domenico of SOSBV urged the board to hold staff accountable and raised concerns about aerial spraying and pesticide persistence. Arnold and other staff responded that the purchase is of a conservation easement interest on private land; the land will remain private and "is not subject to our integrated weed management plan," Arnold said.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about access to the West Lake house lot, required building envelopes, and water rights. Arnold said existing dirt roads provide access, that the remaining water rights and Chapman & McCaslin Ditch rights would be tied to the property, and that the parks-advisory committee (POZAC) recommended the acquisition unanimously.
The motion to acquire the Stillwater Bend conservation easement carried on a voice vote; staff said the transaction will remove one development right and impose two conservation easements and two restrictive covenants to protect habitat while retaining agricultural uses of the hay fields.
Next steps: staff will finalize closing details and implement conservation easement protections; the county and landowner will document continued access for ecological monitoring and research.
