Castle Creek Valley public session is April 22

A public meeting concerning the entire Castle Creek Valley watershed is set for 4-6 p.m. April 22 at the Adventure Lodge in Ashcroft (formerly King Cabin) located 12 miles up Castle Creek Valley from the Aspen roundabout.

“The Castle Creek watershed is seeing an ever-increasing demand for recreational use on public lands, there is a continued desire for historical and environmental education in the valley, and a long-standing expectation of residential solitude,” said Pitkin County Community Development Director Cindy Houben. “This is our challenge.”

Houben said 9 percent of the land in the Castle Creek Valley watershed is private. The remaining 91 percent is public land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The majority of the roadways in Castle Creek are owned by Pitkin County and most of them traverse Forest Service lands.

“This is a wonderfully unique land-ownership pattern,” said Houben. “The public’s perspective about what makes the entire length of Castle Creek desirable to them now and into the future is important for us to discuss.”

Pitkin County Community Development and U.S. Forest Service officials will be on hand at the meeting to offer information and collect feedback. For more information, call Houben at 970-920-5097 or the Forest Service’s Martha Moran at 970-963-2266.