Most of the land suitable for human use, including all grasslands, was privately owned. Just inside the Fall River entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park is 42 acres of privately owned land. But that will only last a little longer. Soon the National Park Service will acquire this land, the largest private strip remaining on its boundaries.
The largest private property within Rocky Mountain National Park is now in the park's hands. Rocky Mountain National Park took another step toward maturity recently, thanks to a fundraising effort led by the Rocky Mountain Nature Association. The National Park Service is responsible for 380,925 acres or 2 percent of Colorado's forests; most of these lands are within the boundaries of Rocky Mountain National Park. Rocky Mountain Nature Association has an ongoing effort to raise funds for the group's Earth Protection Fund, which sets aside money for future land protection efforts.
The land within Rocky Mountain National Park, which includes a group of rental cottages that has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors entering the park, has been purchased and will eventually be added to the park, The Trust for Public Land and Rocky Mountain Conservancy announced today. Rocky Mountain National Park is buying the land and cabins thanks to a promise Grace Davis' parents made years ago that when they were ready to sell the park they would have the first opportunity to buy, says Larry Gamble, the park's head of planning and compliance.
