Land Trust has new plans for Monument Road

By Kathleen Goddeyne - 

The Mesa Land Trust is currently working on a project near the Monument Road area. Nothing has been decided for the new project yet as Mesa Land Trust wants to hear from the locals in that area. “We decided to ask the public and the neighborhood ‘what do you want to see on Monument Road,’” said Libby Collins, Project Coordinator.

The Mesa Land Trust has worked collaboratively and successfully over the past 30 years with landowners to ensure that their needs are achieved while accomplishing conservation goals. Landowners are invited to participate in identifying important conservation and recreational opportunities and weigh in on determining voluntary tools for achieving these goals.

Mesa Land Trust recently acquired the Three Sisters property located on the south side of Monument Road, next to the Tabeguache/Lunch Loop trail system. The Land Trust worked collaboratively with public and private entities to raise the capital ($1.63 million) to purchase the property at the appraised value from private landowners. The property was then deeded over to the City of Grand Junction and now is preserved as public open space.

“We started to look at gaps in trail connectivity in the Redlands area and surrounding area of Monument Road,” Collins said. “A lot of those trails that kids, families, and individuals meet the dead end at the end of Monument Road.”

The Mesa Land Trust is partnering with the City of Grand Junction, Mesa County, the Colorado National Monument, and BLM on this project. The Land Trust will hold meetings among stakeholder groups, including landowners, to determine which conservation and recreation opportunities along the Monument Road Corridor are most valued and achievable. We will also host an interactive on-line platform for people to communicate views and concerns.

“Our plan is to hold stake holder groups with the public to look at our various options” Collins said.

Mesa County Land Trust expects this public engagement process and creation of an implementation plan to take approximately eight months.