WALDEN, Colo. – Last week, the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University and Colorado State Land Board joined with Colorado State Forest Service staff to celebrate the completion of the agency’s new forest management headquarters at the Colorado State Forest near Walden. The building replaced the outdated previous headquarters, which had been in use since the 1940s.
Honoring the Past, Preparing for the Future
Speaking at the dedication event, which followed a theme of “Honoring the Past, Preparing for the Future,” were WCNR Dean John Hayes, Deputy State Forester Joe Duda and State Land Board Assistant Director Greg Ochis. Also in attendance included representatives from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, North Park Fire Rescue Authority and the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.
“Just like the existing historical buildings on the site provided the platform for the Colorado State Forest Service’s success in the past century, this new facility sets the stage for continued impact through this century,” said Dean Hayes.
Dignitaries at the event also planted a Colorado blue spruce on site to commemorate the completion of the building, and attendees enjoyed a walking tour of the new and historically significant buildings. The CSFS recently nominated the older, handcrafted log buildings to the National Register of Historic Places with hopes they could be added as soon as later this year.
“This was a dedication of the new building, but also a celebration of our longstanding relationship with the State Land Board and the community, and we look forward to continuing our service to both in the future,” said Duda, who along with CSFS Steamboat Springs District Forester John Twitchell was instrumental in making the new building a reality.
The Colorado State Forest is a 71,000-acre state trust property located in north-central Colorado, stretching approximately 28 miles along the Medicine Bow Mountains. Established in 1938, it is a unique state trust property where forestry, grazing, recreation and wildlife coexist on a working landscape. The CSFS, a service and outreach agency of the Warner College of Natural Resources, is responsible for forest management at the State Forest.
More information about the Colorado State Forest is available on the State Forest field office’s main page.