Summit County Open Space and Trails
Golden Horseshoe Consensus-based Planning Process
Golden Horseshoe Background | Golden Horseshoe Newsletter June 27, 2007 | Golden Horseshoe Newsletter July 24, 2007
The Golden Horseshoe is an 8,600-acre area northeast of the Town of Breckenridge in unincorporated Summit County. The Town of Breckenridge and Summit County Government have acquired over 2,500 acres of private mining claims in the Golden Horseshoe since 1997, including last year’s acquisition from B&B Mines, to protect the area's natural and recreational resources and backcountry character. In addition, the U.S. Forest Service manages over half the Golden Horseshoe as part of the White River National Forest.For the past year, the U.S. Forest Service, the Town of Breckenridge and Summit County Government have worked through a consensus-based planning process to develop a travel management proposal for the area. This process involved convening three citizen committees– focused on recreation, historical resource and natural resource protection– to help guide the planning effort. Two public open houses were also held to solicit further public comments on the plan.
In October 2006, the plan was submitted by the Board of County Commissioners and Breckenridge Town Council as a recommendation to the U.S. Forest Service for consideration under the White River National Forest Travel Management Plan. A formal decision by the Forest Service is expected in the spring of 2007.
The three managing entities (the U.S. Forest Service, Summit County Government and the Town of Breckenridge) greatly value the time and energy devoted by the citizen groups, including the Recreational Distribution Group, Historic Resources Group, and Natural Resources Group. Those entities, along with the Summit County Open Space Advisory Council, the Town of Breckenridge Open Space Advisory Commission, and the attendees of the many public meetings, dedicated countless hours to accomplish this formidable task.
To learn more about this planning process or the final recommendations, please contact one of the following individuals:
- Brad Eckert, Summit County Open Space and Trails Dept: 970-668-4213, brade@co.summit.co.us
- Scott Reid, Town of Breckenridge Open Space and Trails: 970-547-3155, scottr@townofbreckenridge.com
- Ken Waugh, U.S. Forest Service Dillon Ranger District: 970-262-3446, kwaugh@fs.fed.us