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I Wlty Did the' Town of' Breckenridge Reclaim the Blue River? In the 1980's, the Town of Breckenridge Ui1Id~Jt6'ok the const!;Uction 'of 'a, municipal golf course. golf course is located near the Swan River, a major tributary to the Blue River. The golf course construction disturbed 30 acres of wetlands. As mitigation, the Town decided to restore one mile of the Blue River north of downtown Breckenridge. In addition to the primary purpose of replacing disturbed wetlands with newly created wetlands', the project also sought to increase the period of time when the river would have surface flow, to create fisheries habitat,; and to enhance the existing bicycle path parallel to the rrver's course. The design and construction of the Reclamation Project was funded by the Town of Breckenridge. How Is the Riverwalk Project Related to the Reclamation Project? The 50 years of dredge boat [ling had left unsightly spoil piles of .vel and cobbles in downtown ~ckenridge. The disturbedtiver ttom was so porous, that all flow ~ped below the river bed, except ring the spring runoff. The Town was so pleased with : results of the Reclamation Project ther downstream and with the lction of the community's residents d visitors to that project, that it )se to reclaim the river in the heart downtown. The Riverwalk Project .s envisioned as a continuation of ~ Reclamation Project. Ie Blue Rivet befote the Rivetw<llk Ptoject beg<\n 1993. This is now the IOQtion of the musident. One symphony conductot perfotming in this tent complilinetl thilt the tivet W4S "too noisy'. In the pilst you could not even he<ttthe subtettilne<tn tivet. In 1993, approximately three years after the completion of the Reclamation Project, work began on the Riverwalk Project. Initially, consideration was given to a "natural" approach, as had been used farther downstream. Ultimately the approach for the Riverwalk was much more urban, with more pedestrian features including bridges, non-native decorative landscaping, and substantial use of large boulders for erosion protection and visual enhancement. The music tent, immediately adjacent to the river, is a major attraction within the project area. The restored river duplicated nature with a 20-foot elevation drop, fast-flowing rimes, still pools for fish, small islands, boulders, gravel bars and river bank willows. The Town created a beautiful park and events center with a mountain river as its centerpiece. Ftom Ski Hill RoCld, the RivetwCllk tCIkes pedestriClns south. The ptoject will extend thtough the VillClge complex in the neClt futute