A wooded preserve nurtured for decades by its private owners will be open to the public later this year as El Paso County’s newest open space addition.The 1,040-acre Pineries Open Space will be handed to the county when developers Mark Morley and Paul Howard file the final plat for the Sanctuary in the Pines subdivision.The 2,378-acre plan calls for 389 homes to be built on lots from 2.5 to 5 acres northeast of Shoup and Vollmer roads several miles east of Black Forest Regional Park.The open space encircles the development and will feature a 10-mile trail. The trail will sidestep rare flora and wildlife corridors on the east side that have served as an outdoor classroom for local college students.”I live in Black Forest, and this is amazingly beautiful land,” Howard said.Katherine and Fred Farrar acquired the land in the 1950s and passed it to a daughter and her husband, Katherine and Peter Spahn. The family placed a portion into a conservation easement with the Palmer Land Trust in the mid-1980s, meaning it can never be developed.For 33 years, Kent Timmerman cared for the acreage and its ponds. He also oversaw areas of sensitive plants, among them krigia biflora, which he said “looks like a dandelion” and is rare in Colorado.The property at one time had a sawmill and post and pole peeler plant. Cattle last grazed the property in 2001, and several barns remain on the southwest corner where the county plans to build a 28-acre active-use park.Timmerman has been hired by the county to oversee the property, county public services manager Tim Wolken said. His salary is paid by the developer.”I love coming out here,” Wolken said, turning off his vehicle’s engine. “It’s just quiet.”Because of the county’s budget crunch, money is scarce, so Wolken said the county hopes to tap state lottery funds to build a trail head, parking lot and trails.A citizen advisory board will write a master plan for the open space and park.Scott Campbell, Palmer Land Trust’s executive director, called the land “exceptional.””It has some amazing forested areas, grasslands and riparian areas,” he said. “It’s a mix of what the Black Forest in general has to offer. The fact the public can enjoy it adds to that value.”Howard said the economic slowdown has delayed the housing development, but utilities and roads are being built, and 60 lots are under contract.-contact the writer: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazettedev.gazette.com

The most discussed locatione for the wildlife rehab center has been thee Pineries Open Space (2013 file photo by Bryan Oller, The Gazette)