A recent ribbon-cutting marked the culmination of what the city of Woodland Park calls a “landmark achievement.” That’s what Avenger Open Space, the city’s 120-acre acquisition from earlier this year, is said to represent.

Chris Gonzales, a parks board member and nonprofit leader who helped identify the previously private property and rallied fellow advocates and local officials to action, counted more than 60 people at the ribbon-cutting. They included city leaders, officials with key funding partner Great Outdoors Colorado, representatives of conservation easement-holding Palmer Land Conservancy and individual donors.

Not to mention Gonzales’ two kids.

“Being able to walk those trails with them and realizing my kids’ kids’ kids are going to get to enjoy the property because of the work we all put into it, there’s no better feeling than that,” Gonzales said.

But the work is far from finished, he added.

Avenger Open Space is a narrow strip of pine, aspen and rolling meadows looking out to Pikes Peak. The mosaic blends between Pike National Forest and the neighborhood off Kings Crown Road, bordering Paradise Open Space. (A city webpage includes a map: tinyurl.com/na2x73fy)

“There’s really good opportunities for connection and improvement there,” Gonzales said. “We would like for Paradise’s parking area to be a main area to access Avenger because the current access to Avenger is so limited.”

For now, “it’s a bit more of a choose-your-own adventure,” he said. “There isn’t a lot on the ground as far as signage and wayfinding goes. However, that will be coming in the near future.”

The work will be a focus of Teller Trail Team, the nonprofit that Gonzales formed on the heels of a city parks master plan. In a survey asking residents for department priorities, 83% said their primary interest was more open space and trails.

They got that with Avenger Open Space, the largest land acquisition ever made by the city.

“Avenger serves not only as a catalyst and springboard for the city of Woodland Park, but also for us as a nonprofit,” Gonzales said. “This is the first big project we proposed to the community. And we’ve been thrilled with how it’s gone, and we look forward to more similar projects in the future.”