Hickenlooper, Donovan, Fielder to mark Colorado Public Lands Day in Vail

Editor’s note: Due to ongoing winter weather, Gov. Hickenlooper will not be in Vail on Friday. The Spraddle Creek hike on Saturday has been pushed back from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and will include a meet-and-greet with Sen. Kerry Donovan and Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne at the West Side Cafe in West Vail starting at 9 a.m. All other events will continue as scheduled.

Gov. John Hickenlooper will be in Vail on Friday, May 19, giving the proclamation designating the first Colorado Public Lands Day.

Vail is an early stop on the governor’s statewide tour celebrating the state’s public lands and the first Colorado Public Lands Day, a bill which was introduced and passed last year by Vail’s native daughter, state Sen. Kerry Donovan.

The public is invited to attend the Governor’s reading of the proclamation at 9:30 a.m. at the Donovan Pavilion in Vail.

Hike Proposed Wilderness near Vail with Sen. Donovan Saturday

On Saturday for the first Colorado Public Lands Day, Donovan will celebrate in Vail, joining a hike into proposed wilderness, starting at 9 a.m. at the North Trail Lot just northeast of the main Vail I-70 exit 176. She’ll comment about the new bill and join an overview of the proposed Spraddle Creek addition to the Eagle’s Nest Wilderness Area just north of Vail Mountain.

Donovan will lead the start of the free public hike into Spraddle Creek starting at about 9:30, stopping for lunch along the way and finishing around 2 p.m. Learn about the process of protecting our public lands and enjoy experiencing wilderness quality lands.

Expect about 4 miles of hiking over four hours including a leisurely lunch stop. Be prepared for two wet creek crossings and an elevation gain of about 1200 feet on this moderate hike.

9 a.m. — Meet Sen. Donovan at the North Trail parking area northeast of main Vail exit. Parking is limited. Please bring water, rain gear, personal first aid kit, and lunch. No pets.

9:30 a.m. — Hikers carpool a short distance to the trail head Please pre-register for this hike as space is limited. Register here:  http://tinyurl.com/lyur943

“Celebrating Eagle County’s Public Lands” with John Fielder 

On Saturday evening, the public is invited to join renowned photographer John Fielder for a wine reception and his photographic presentation, Celebrating Eagle County’s Public Lands. The free event is at Colorado Mountain College, in  Edwards.

5:30 p.m. — Public Reception hosted by Grappa Fine Wines and the Continental Divide Wilderness Coalition

7 p.m. — “Celebrating Eagle County’s Public Lands” Photographic Presentation – John Fielder

8:15 p.m. — Conversations, questions, discussion of public lands in Colorado and Eagle County

These events are free and open to the public.