BOARD02497

• Board Meeting Date: 7/14/1971
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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would like to point out, speaking on behalf of
the citizens of western Araphaoe County, that
there are other concerns which perhaps have not
been taken into account which should be recog-
nized by this board and by the Corps of Engineers.

The first of these has to do with open space
itself. As the board is aware from the tour
that you took yesterday, major portions of the
river valley and particularly in the section
south of Columbine, was completely open, there
was one house to our. knowledge, south of Columbine,
the rest of the land is used for turf farming,
gravel operations and cattle grazing.

We must point out though, that once the
channelization project is completed as is now
projected development will take place in the
river valley very rapidly. The land hasn't
developed to this time because the land has been
subject to flooding. Once that flood threat is
gone, development is going to take place.

From an open space standpoint, we feel that
there is need for open space for future res-
-idents of the community and some efforts should
be made to preserve this open space.

A second concern deals with ecological and
wildlife implications. While the open river
valley now represents habitat for fish, small
game and other wildlife resources, once the
channelization project takes place, this habitat
will be lost. If the ecological habitat is not
destroyed by the physical act of channelization
itself, it will surely be destroyed by the sub-
division of land development that is going to
take place right down to the channel. We ask,
'What is the value of this ecological habitat
and should some effort be made to preserve it?'

Our third concern deals with vegetation along
the river valley. As you know, many of the
plants now growing there, the trees and what not,
are dependent on an underground water table for
their water supply. Onoe the water table in the

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