Chaffee County’s Heritage

COUNTY HERITAGE PLAN OFF TO GOOD START

Development of the Chaffee County Heritage Plan, including the Collegiate Peaks Scenic and Historic Byway, got off to a great start with two events in Salida and Buena Vista Thursday, November 29.  Having a Heritage Plan is a necessary step in implementing the Board of Commissioner’s 2004 declaration of the whole county as a Heritage Area, appointment of a Heritage Board, and designation of the Scenic Byway in November, 2005. 

According to Kathryn Wadsworth, Executive Director of GARNA, the non-profit which the County appointed to administer the Heritage Area and Scenic Byway, “A Heritage Plan is a non-binding but extremely helpful way of setting priorities and raising the visibility on projects to help preserve and manage a whole bunch of the historic, natural and cultural features of the County.  This can range from restoring an old historic building to finding ways to help ranchers preserve their acreage to building visitor centers and interpretive signs along the Byway.  Once such a plan is approved, which will include sections on the Scenic Byway required by its designation, the County’s Heritage Area will be in a much better position to apply for grants to make specific actions happen.”

The Heritage Planning which is getting underway is funded jointly by the Colorado Department of Transportation and the State Historic Fund, with matching funds from the Chaffee County Commissioners and local municipalities.

The Denver based planning firm Mundus-Bishop has been contracted to help the Heritage Board through an 8-month process scheduled to end in June of 2008.  The first public steps took place in Salida and Buena Vista last Thursday, November 29.  In Salida the kickoff was a 2-hour Oral History Interview session, which drew about 40 citizens from north and south in the county for a lively and fascinating exchange of old stories and recollections of  individual residents-old-timers and newcomers alike-about what makes Chaffee County what it is, what gives it its sense of “place.”  Some contributors shared old photos and explained how life was like for them or their parents and grandparents in early Chaffee County, focusing on the pleasures and hardships of daily life, and how things have changed (for the better or worse) and what things really ought to be better preserved and explained to the younger generation.

In Buena Vista that same evening some 25 people attended an open house Community Meeting to hear Mundus Bishop and the Heritage Board report on information that has already been collected and what the next steps are for getting more public input.  Among the most interesting maps being prepared are “views sheds” and “skyline” maps which help understand just what near and far views are seen from along our major highways (the Scenic Byway 24/285/291 in particular).

Alan Robinson, Heritage Board Member, observed that “Several key players in discussions of new county zoning regulations came in to see how the Heritage Plan is developing.  It seemed they appreciated the potential value of what we are presenting to their own deliberations, and noted that it highlights interconnections between defining and protecting our county’s Heritage special places and history and the legally-binding codes the county approves in the future.”

The next opportunity for the general public to get involved will come in March, 2008 in meetings in both Salida and Buena Vista, but the Board and Mundus Bishop team will be constantly working to contact individuals and groups for their insight into the county’s unique history and values to visitors and residents alike.

	Members of the Chaffee County Heritage Board greet participants at the Community Meeting last Thursday in Buena Vista where progress on the Chaffee County Heritage Plan was presented. At right Buena Vista Mayor and Heritage Board member Cara Russell…next to Cara is Kathryn Wadsworth, Executive Director of GARNA, who administers the Heritage Area. Photo by Chaffee County Heritage Board
	Local resident Kathy McCoy [blond hair, facing away] leads a spirited small group through Oral History interviews in Salida last Thursday. A mix of old timers and relative newcomers shared recollections of life as it was in the early days of Chaffee County, helping planners to identify special places, activities and other aspects which make the county a special “place.” Photo by Chaffee County Heritage Board
	“Native” born Salida resident Mary Boardman shared photos and recollections of the lives of her parents and grandparents in the DeLuca and other families at the Oral History interviews in Salida last Thursday.  This event was part of the Chaffee County Heritage Board’s development of a Heritage Plan and recommendations for the Collegiate Peaks Scenic and Historic Byway. Photo by Chaffee County Heritage Board
	Chaffee County Commissioner Tim Glenn put on his old-timer hat at the Chaffee County Heritage Board’s Oral History interviews this past Thursday in Salida.  Tim contributed a review of his family’s long involvement in the local cemetery and his recollections of growing up in earlier days in Salida.  All these recollections about what life was like, how things have changed, and what needs to be better understood and preserved will be collected by the Board and its professional planning advisers in developing the county’s Heritage Plan. Photo by Chaffee County Heritage Board
	Long time northern county rancher/resident Norma Sandoval [left] shares a moment with her friend Suzy Kelly [right], one of the county’s best-informed local historians at the Oral History interviews last week in Salida.  Norma’s perspective of life along Hwy 24 north of BV in the early days will help planners identify what’s really special about the county and suggest ways to better preserve and understand it. Photo by Chaffee County Heritage Board

Public land managers have their individual plans and programs

County Commission, Towns are active

County’s Heritage GIS Database

Many Private initiatives are underway

Arkansas River Trust
Buena Vista Heritage
GARNA
Historic Salida Inc.
Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas
SPOT (Salida Parks, Open Space and Trails)
Trout Unlimited…and others