Cherry Hills Land Preserve reports positive activity at Quincy Farm

On July 18, Ellen Hereford Thompson, executive director of Cherry Hills Land Preserve (CHLP) and Quincy Farm (QF), and Laura Christman, former CHV mayor and president of the board of directors of CHLP and QF, offered the Cherry Hills Village City Council an in-depth look at current and future programs planned for QF.

Emily Black, CHV Parks Project & Operations Manager, first told the council about the many repairs and improvements that have been done at QF during the past year.

Black explained that, “One of the main goals in the 2023 annual plan, which we’re currently operating under, was creating public access to the east side of the Farm. That began in January 2023.” She showed several before-and-after photos of major repairs CHV parks and maintenance staff per- formed.

All repairs were done so as to retain the original character of QF as much as possible, including re-using original hardware when rebuilding gates, doors, and fences. At the east side farmhouse, a new walkway was built to replace the original one that was destroyed, bluegrass was replaced with buffalo grass, and low-water garden beds were added that are pollinator-friendly. The house was also made ADA-compliant.

Thompson opened her presentation with the vision for QF, which she described as, “QF will be an integral part of the educational and recreational infrastructure of CHV, a place of experiences that remind our community of its agricultural heritage, a place of natural beauty and open spaces, a place that provides a rich habitat of local flora and fauna, and a place that enriches and centers the Cherry Hills community,” adding that the barnyard is the educational hub of the property, “with the big barn being the central visual element that provides the program space.”

After noting that CHLP

Continued on page 10