Nonprofit buys 480 acres on 14er to help preserve public access

Another puzzle piece of the DeCaLiBron Loop trail near Fairplay has been purchased by The Conservation Fund along with dozens of other parcels on -foot Mount Bross Its summit will remain off limits to fourteener hikers however for the foreseeable future The Conservation Fund acquired parcels of land owned by John Reiber last week totaling more than acres Included is a small trail segment on Bross that is part of the DeCaLiBron Loop connecting that peak to Mount Lincoln Mount Cameron and Mount Democrat Most of of the parcels purchased last week are south of the summit and are not part of the loop Terms of the sale were not declared The DeCaLiBron Loop links four -foot peaks making it one of the largest part popular fourteener destinations in Colorado Two years ago Reiber sold acres on Democrat and the Kite Lake Trailhead to The Conservation Fund They were later conveyed to the U S Forest System as last week s acquisition will be Sometimes to save a mountain you have to buy it noted Kelly Ingebritson senior field representative at The Conservation Fund It secures hiking access between Mount Lincoln and Mount Bross It protects its southern face and viewshed It s near the critical headwaters of the South Platte River Ingebritson disclosed parcels south of the summit also are key wildlife habitat for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep Canada lynx elk and moose And she stated the Mosquito Range is a botanical hotspot with rare plants that are endemic to the area Land on Bross and neighboring peaks is a bewildering array of -acre mining indicates dating back to the late s A map showing parcels of land on Mount Bross shown in red which The Conservation Fund purchased from private landowner John Reiber last week Two years ago Reiber sold land on Mount Democrat shown in blue to The Conservation Fund That land was conveyed to the U S Forest Facility as Wednesday's acquisition will be The map also shows the popular DeCaLiBron Loop a popular attraction for fourteener hikers Provided by The Conservation Fund Our role is like connecting a puzzle Ingebritson mentioned in an interview This is a national forest with thousands of acres of private land and we are helping to put the pieces back together The land ownership is fragmented We re providing a response On Mount Bross we purchased separate parcels of private land all within the national forest boundary Related Articles Fewer people climbed these three popular Colorado ers in The DeCaLiBron Loop currently skirts the summit of Bross due to landholder concerns that have kept it closed for years Adding the summit to the loop will require more than negotiations with them There also are safety concerns due to fears that th-century mining tunnels near the summit could collapse I ve heard the land up there described as Swiss cheese Ingebritson noted It is key to avoid the summit It s at this time closed and it s still privately owned by multiple unrelated parties so it s intricate to get an agreement up there But she added the U S Forest Operation and The Conservation Fund are interested in acquiring the summit and we stand ready to work on acquiring it if there can be a consensus The Conservation Fund made the acquisition in partnership with the forest provision Park County the Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative and the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Colorado s ers drew hikers last year including almost to the Decalibron Loop one of the bulk popular mountain hiking routes in the state disclosed Lloyd Athearn executive director of Colorado Fourteeners Initiative in a news release This acquisition preserves a key parcel along the loop trail which will help with ongoing trail access and sustainability The acquisition also protects other fundamental lands on the flanks of Mount Bross that will preserve alpine tundra ecosystems Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox