10 SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | nonprofi t dedicated to stewarding the trail alongside its government partners. Harriet LaMair, who raised her kids near the High Line, has been the CEO since the start of the organization. The group started small, with cleanup days and community projects, but was soon thinking big: Today it has $67 million in federal and state funding, and is raising an- other $33 million, with a big benefi t slated for September 20 in Aurora. From 2025 to 2029, the conservancy will use that $100 million to improve the trail’s connectivity by closing gaps around Plum Creek in Littleton, at Wellshire Golf Course in Denver and near I-70 in Aurora, adding new trails, bridges and underpasses and smoothing surfaces all along the way. It’s also putting up educational signage about the wildlife and plants along the trail, and about the history of the High Line Canal. And there’s still plenty of history to be made. While the conservancy has been taking an increasingly important role in the High Line Canal, Denver Water began to hand off ownership of the canal this spring, keeping only a 45-mile stretch that goes through Green Valley Ranch and assigning the rest to Arapahoe County. Denver could have taken on a portion, but declined...just as it had over a century ago. The city had budgeting concerns about maintenance, while Arapahoe County was ready and had plans and funding in place. Denver Water worked collaboratively with the Denver Department of Parks & Recre- ation, the Denver City Attorney, Arapahoe County and the High Line Conservancy to move forward with the conveyance of the land to Arapahoe County, but with an understanding that when Denver is ready, the city can take the Denver parcels back. In the meantime, Arapahoe County is converting the ditch into a stormwater system, while continuing to encourage recreational use of the trail. According to Greenwood Village, it’s “one of the most popular and treasured areas of the city.” As a trail, the High Line Canal found new life. It’s one of the longest contiguous urban trails in the country, and is used by about a million people a year as a walking, biking and equestrian trail. It’s used for irrigation “very infrequently,” says LaMair. “It’s better known as a recreational trail.” Author David Skari, who wrote Meander- ing Through Time, a history of the High Line Canal, says that even though it fl opped as an irrigation project, it inspired bigger schemes that went on to help Colorado residents claim water and survive in the arid climate of Denver. “It was very instrumental,” Skari says. “The building of the High Line Canal was a radical departure from anything that had been built in its time, and it gave people the idea, ‘Hey, look what can be done.’ It was sur- passed only by more grandiose projects, and the story of Colorado is water reclamation.” Part of the trail’s value is that it ties the metro area together while still displaying the character of the different communi- ties, LaMair says. It passes by stables with horses and goats and parks with children and dogs. Even if it failed in its initial mission, its creators should be proud of what they did. “What would those people think to- day? Wouldn’t they be so pleased?” LaMair muses. “Sometimes what happens is people have an idea and it changes. But I don’t think anyone, not even a landscape architect, could have designed something like the High Line Canal.” Email the author at [email protected]. High on the High Line continued from page 8 The High Line crosses Highway 285 in Cherry Hills Village with a stone-walled underpass. BENNITO L. KELT Y If you, a loved one, or your patient is struggling with a substance use disorder, help is just a call away. Take the first step toward recovery. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Call: 303-962-8027 SCAN TO LEARN MORE Denver Health’s Substance Treatment Line is here for you. • Free compassionate support • Confidential • No Pressure • Inclusive Care
