March 1, 2021 Update:

Friends of Clear Creek is thrilled to announce that we have met our financial funding pledge of $20,000 to help purchase the Douglas Mountain Plateau! 

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We have also surpassed the donations for our $2500.00 matching funds campaign.  A huge thank you to each and every person who has donated to help make this goal a reality!  We are in awe of your generosity and heart for preserving this land and protecting the wildlife that call it home.  Any additional donations received will continue to be earmarked towards securing the Douglas Mountain Plateau.  

 

Regarding the completion of the plateau purchase, Mountain Area Land Trust shared yesterday that all participating state and local agencies and individuals are highly encouraged regarding the positive progress towards the purchase of the Douglas Mountain Plateau!   We now wait in anticipation as all the details are completed, property appraisal, grants, legal documents, etc. We are still patiently waiting on the appraisal report on the plateau. Hopeful to hear soon so the closing on the plateau will be completed.  

 

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Feel free to reach out to us anytime. We can be reached at friendsofclearcreek@gmail.com or call anytime:  720-608-1670.  

 

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February 15th Update:

EXCITING NEWS – To honor the legacy of a longtime Empire resident, a matching donation campaign has been established from February 15th to March 15th, of $500.00 or less, up to a total of $2500.00!!!! We appreciate all donations, and now the smaller amounts can be doubled over the next month.

 

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, your generosity is epic!! We have reached $13,000.00 of our $20,000.00 goal. We are truly touched at how many people, far and wide, care about land conservation and preserving a migration path for our stunning wildlife. We hope our children and grandchildren will enjoy the same beauty that we have the privilege of enjoying today.

 

You can help push us over the top! Every dollar helps our cause!

Please visit our DONATE page.

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Douglas Mountain Plateau Update

January 2021

The plateau will be forever preserved as wildlife habitat!!!!

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We are so excited to share this fabulous news regarding the Douglas Mountain Plateau in Empire, CO!  The below information is from Mountain Area Land Trust, MALT, who has been working with state and local agencies to help secure the plateaus preservation for the generations to come.  Please join us in celebrating this HUGE win and help us attain our committed financial goal of $20,000.00. Contributions can be made through our Friends of Clear Creek website DONATE page, or via mail payable to Friends of Clear Creek. P.O. Box 8 Empire, CO. 80438.  All donations are tax deductible. 

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From MALT:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will move into negotiations on the Empire plateau project beginning January 2021. Full funding from them was approved (out of 27 projects and over $45 million requested, only $11 million was funded). Our requested and approved amount was $2,845,621. Funding has also been secured from Clear Creek County Open Space for $200,000, Friends of Clear Creek have pledged $20,000 and the remaining amount will need to come from a Great Outdoors Colorado grant submission for $500,000 in the 1st quarter of 2021. Securing the CPW approval was a major hurdle. This project will provide a key connection for the Bighorn sheep herd between Empire and Georgetown by protecting and preserving their migratory route.

Jeanne M. Beaudry

Executive Director

Mountain Area Land Trust

 

The contribution of $20,000.00 from Friends of Clear Creek to this project is required matching funds for receiving state grant funding, so our contribution is vital to the success of the purchase of the plateau. We need your help to reach our goal; every dollar will help preserve this plateau for our wildlife and for generations to come!

 

In April of 2018, an application for a mining permit from Douglas Mountain Ranch Mining Project was submitted to the State of Colorado. That was the beginning of our journey. A small group of like-minded residents, mostly from Empire and all from Clear Creek County, came together to oppose the gravel pit. You can follow that process on our page WE DEFEATED THE GRAVEL PIT. But it was more than just opposing a gravel pit. We realized how important, unique, and special the Douglas Mountain Plateau is to this area and to the wildlife that is one of our top priorities and attractions for this county. We formed a community group and worked tirelessly to bring awareness about the plateau and how detrimental the gravel pit would be. We rallied state-wide support for a letter writing campaign that ultimately led to the mining application being withdrawn in October of 2019.

 

During that time, we transformed from a small community group to a thriving non-profit organization. We owe much of our early success to one of our founding members and visionary, Hans Berg. His passion for the environment and spirit of adventure inspired the formation of the group and he led the charge until his untimely death in March of 2019. Sadly, he was not there to celebrate the defeat of the gravel pit or to witness the purchase of the plateau that was so near and dear to his heart. We honor our friend and founder at BE LIKE HANS. Donations for the purchase of the plateau can be made in honor of Hans Berg.