WEEK OF JULY 13, 2023
VOLUME 52 | ISSUE 7
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Floyd Hill parcel to remain undeveloped Albert Frei & Sons donates 18 acres to Mountain Area Land Trust A pollinator plot helps bring bees to the community garden in Idaho Springs. Scraps-to-Soil, which operates the garden, hopes gardeners will plant vegetables, so they can harvest their own food. PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST
would never run into each other connect over gardening together.” Since Idaho Springs provides the land, 51% of the gardeners must be Idaho Springs residents, and the remainder come from around the county, Slaymaker said. In 2010, Scraps-to-Soil asked the Idaho Springs City Council to provide land for a community garden, and the garden opened the next year
The pristine landscape on Floyd Hill that some consider the gateway to Clear Creek County will remain that way forever. That’s because Albert Frei and Sons purchased a developer’s option on 18 acres known as the Homestead parcel and donated it to the Mountain Area Land Trust. MALT property can never be developed. “The company contacted us and asked if we would be open to accepting the property,” said Lynn Caligiuri, executive director of the Mountain Area Land Trust. “We know that neighborhood has for years been really interested in making sure it stayed protected and conserved. In light of that and the wildlife that uses that area, how could we say no?” She said standing up for wildlife
SEE GARDEN, P5
SEE LAND, P2
Idaho Springs community garden grows veggies, camaraderie BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Ursula Cruzalegui wants people to smile when they look at the community garden in Idaho Springs. “It’s a good central space,” Cruzalegui, president of the nonprofit Scraps-to-Soil, said of the 20-plot garden across from Courtney-RileyCooper Park. “I want people to stop by not just because they have a plot but because they can come in and
enjoy the shade and the benches. People think it has a fence and gates, so you can’t go in, but everyone is welcome.” Cris Slaymaker, the garden leader for Scraps-to-Soil, which operates the garden, said the community garden was really important. “We encourage gardeners to grow vegetables,” Slaymaker said. “It’s incredibly empowering to grow your own food, and the garden provides a sense of community. People who
BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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