Overeynder: His legacy won’t be forgotten

Residents and visitors on both sides of Independence Pass owe a debt of gratitude to the Amy Margerum Berg family. Their generosity has resulted in preserving 235 acres of high alpine terrain located along the slopes of Mount Champion adjoining the Mount Massive Wilderness in the San Isabelle National Forest. While the Champion Mine South property is out of view from most passersby, it’s located just a little over a mile from Highway 82 on the Lake County side of the pass. It provides a home for bighorn sheep and is steeped in Colorado history.

It’s particularly appropriate that the donation was made in honor of Amy’s late husband, Chuck McLean. Chuck loved this part of Colorado. He was always eager to share his enthusiasm for this landscape and its historical significance. In the 40 years or so since I first met Chuck, I saw up close that he was a committed conservationist. He took on questions as broad as how can the marine life in the Santa Barbara Channel be protected from unfettered oil and gas development to how could climber access to La Plata Peak best be preserved?

Later on, I had the opportunity to participate in a number of hikes that Chuck lead into some of the remote backcountry mining sites on the eastern slopes of Independence Pass near his home at the historic stage route stop of Everett. Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth. 

With this donation of key parcels of land, his legacy won’t be forgotten.

Philip A. Overeynder

Aspen