Colorado Issues First Permit To Remove Barbed Wire
Jennifer Trinco
I’m a proud fourth-generation Colorado native, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather live...
I’m a proud fourth-generation Colorado native, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather live...
The old, barbed-wire fence along Elk Meadow Park in Evergreen is being removed through a unique partnership
Evergreen's Barbed WIre Project
A decades-old, barbed wire fence along Highway 74 near Evergreen is finally coming down — thanks to a first-of-its-kind partnership between a nonprofit and the State of Colorado.
The rusting fence, which once held cattle in Elk Meadow Park, has long been a hazard to wildlife. For years, locals like Christie Greene have driven by the sagging wire with frustration.
"It's not been a lot of fun for 30 years driving by and watching this barbed wire sit here,” said Greene. “It’s rusting and falling down, and there’s no reason for it.”
The fence doesn’t hold cattle anymore — but locals say it has caught the legs of elk trying to move through the meadow.
"The carnage, seeing an animal trapped, seeing them die — it’s just sad,” said Patty Brown. “We need to get it gone, smooth it out.”
Brown and Greene have been working through the nonprofit Wild Aware to push for the fence’s removal. That effort paid off this week, with what they jokingly called a “wire cutting” ceremony.
“One, two, three — cut!” a group of volunteers shouted as they snipped the first strand.
Wild Aware became the first nonprofit to receive a state permit to remove barbed wire in a highway right-of-way. The group hopes their success paves the way for similar efforts around the state.
“We are the first nonprofit to apply for and receive a permit to work and remove barbed wire in the right-of-way,” said Greene. “So, we hope we're going to set the ground for other organizations to come and be able to do it.”
The goal is to remove six miles of fencing from Bergen Parkway to Evergreen Lake by July — a challenge volunteers say is worth every step.
“It just feels like you're seeing the land for the first time,” said Shelby Johnson. “It’s a beautiful sight. It truly is.”
The wire that’s being taken down will be recycled. Wild Aware hopes to expand the project to private properties with homeowners’ permission.
More information on the Barbed Wire Warrior program is available here.
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