In 2013, Western Rivers Conservancy purchased a small but critical property on Colorado’s upper Yampa River, three miles downstream of Stagecoach Reservoir. The acquisition created new public access to a coveted stretch of trophy trout water and conserved the only unprotected land within an area that is otherwise safeguarded by wilderness, parks and wildlife areas. The property spans 45 acres at the confluence of Sarvis Creek and the Yampa River and is known as Hubbard’s Summer Camp. Although a 45-acre acquisition is relatively small, the impact of the purchase is anything but. In addition to creating angler and hunter access to a prime destination only 13 miles from Steamboat Springs, the project enhances ongoing conservation efforts to restore habitat for rainbow trout and mountain whitefish. It conserves extensive forests of lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, scrub oak, ponderosa pine and aspen, as well as riparian stands of alder, willow and red osier dogwood. Black bear, Canada lynx, mountain lion and Rocky Mountain elk are among the many wildlife species that inhabit the area.
In December 2014, WRC conveyed Hubbard’s Summer Camp to the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, which can now manage the land for the sake of conservation and public access. Most of the land surrounding Hubbard’s Summer Camp is already protected. The property is bordered by the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Area, Sarvis Creek State Wildlife Area and BLM lands. Now that Hubbard’s Summer Camp is publicly owned, the confluence of Sarvis Creek and the Yampa River is in public hands as well—and forever protected.
Critical support for our work on Sarvis Creek has been provided by the L.P. Brown Foundation, The Conservation Alliance, Laura Jane Musser Fund and Kenney Brothers Foundation.
