In the mid-1990s Breckenridge was a few hundred residents away from reaching a population of 2,000, but locals could see a development boom on the horizon. A passionate group of nature enthusiast worried about the lands they loved becoming a victim of overdevelopment. So, they convinced their fellow residents that a bump in taxes would be worth a future where the town's natural areas were protected.
Breckenridge voters approved a permanent 0.5% sales tax dedicated to open space management and acquisition in 1996, which went into effect in 1997. Since then, town has been able to pour over $34 million into initiatives aimed at buying land to create open spaces, facilitate trail construction and maintenance and foster nature preservation.
Before the initiative passed, the town owned 119 acres of open space.
Durango-based lawyer and former Breckenridge-based waitress Lindsey Nicholson didn't anticipate playing any role in local politics before heading to graduate school, but she ended up being a key player in the sales tax ballot initiative.
At the turn of the 1990s to the mid-1990s, she began mountain biking thanks to her new friend Ellen Hollinshead, who talked a lot about wanting to do something to preserve the natural areas that house the trails she loved.
By 1996, Hollinshead had already began moving on those intentions and formulating the ballot initiative she hoped to introduce. It wouldn't be long before the two of them and Hollinshead's husband, Jeffrey Bergeron, found themselves sitting on the steps of the Breckenridge Post Office asking for signatures of support.
Bergeron said while many community members were onboard, there was still amble pushback. "There were people that were really angry at us," he said, noting some community organizations even sent out letters discouraging residents from supporting the initiative.
He said the group found an unlikely ally, whose help he credits with the ballot measure's successful passing.
The three consulted Breckenridge-based lawyer and friend Jay Bauer on how to best craft ballot language. Bergeron said Bauer even surprised himself by agreeing to lend his expertise.
"I have three hippies in my office trying to convince a Republican attorney to raise taxes, and I'm going to do everything pro bono," he recalled Bauer saying.
The Breckenridge Open Space and Trails program started in 1997. Bergeron said the program began with an informal commission leading it until a formal one formed in the early 2000s.
"It's unfathomable how much it's grown. I think the current commission is one of the strongest the town has ever had, for anything," he said.
Open Space and Trails Manager Duke Barlow gave Breckenridge Town Council an overview of the department's work in 2024 at a Feb. 25. meeting and said the department spent around $6.2 million of its $8.5 million in the 2024 budget on land acquisitions.
That $6.2 million resulted in five open space parcels for the town, two of which are jointly owned with the county. Around $3.5 million went toward an approximate 18-acre parcel near the Stephen C. West Ice Arena called "Lizzie Lode."
While two of the more significant purchases were for parcels just outside of town core, the other being a $1.8 million purchase near French Gulch, Barlow said that's not where the departments generally focuses on when it comes to acquisitions
"It's pretty striking how small these parcels look (on the map), but I think they were important acquisitions, and I think it shows a continuing trend of being able to scoop up properties that are further away from the town core," he said.
Barlow said his staff spent around 90% of their time on the clock maintaining around 70 miles of trails and helped the department embark on a new project to revamp trail signage.
"This is making our trail network more accessible for more people, whether it's bilingual or trail (specific changes) for all-persons trails or just better way finding," he said.
Aside from boosting accessibility, the project is also intended to increase awareness and education of trail users to limit impacts on natural resources and reduce animal-human conflicts.
Additionally, the department is seeking a Leave No Trace Gold Standard designation in Fall 2025 and have 12 staff members who are Leave No Trace instructors and aid in educating people on the importance of taking everything you brought on the trails home with you.
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