2.5-acre Old Cutters Preserve donated by private landowner
An anonymous landowner has given a 2.5-acre parcel in northeastern Hailey to the Wood River Land Trust for permanent use as a public preserve, the nonprofit announced on Dec. 18.
The undeveloped lot is at the end of CD Olena Drive, just northwest of Old Cutters Park and west of Hangman Gulch. It comprises “upland meadow” habitat and a pond and hosts a large number of elk annually, according to the Land Trust.
The property has been named Old Cutters Preserve and will be permanently available for public recreational use. It is the organization’s 18th public-access preserve, joining a portfolio that includes Howard Preserve in Bellevue; Boxcar Bend Preserve midvalley; Draper Preserve in Hailey; Warm Springs Preserve in Ketchum; and Lake Creek Preserve north of Ketchum.
The new preserve will give bikers and hikers another option to access the 3-mile Hang Tight/Hang Loose loop in Hangman Gulch. The popular bike trail opened in September and saw a record-breaking 169 daily passes per day this fall.
Land Trust Executive Director Amy Trujillo said staff will begin restoration work on the property in the spring to curtail weeds and plant native wildflowers and grasses. All necessary funds for the restoration and long-term maintenance of the property have already been secured from Land Trust donors, according to Friday’s press release.
“This gift represents an opportunity to protect access to an area enjoyed informally by the community for years, create a continuous open space connecting the adjacent Old Cutters Park, Hangman Gulch, and the surrounding BLM lands, and preserve habitat used by elk, migratory birds, and other wildlife,” the Land Trust stated.
Quoted in the same release, the landowner said that they chose to gift their land “to forever preserve the remaining open space between our growing subdivision and the city and public lands.”
“We trust the Land Trust to care for it in perpetuity, ensuring its beauty and resources are protected for future generations to enjoy,” they stated.
The Land Trust’s first conservation project was developed when The Nature Conservancy in Idaho turned over a riparian conservation easement north of Ketchum that eventually became the 1.76-acre Lake Creek Preserve. That was followed by the 7.1-acre Boxcar Bend Preserve, a popular area for anglers. The organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary.