By Amber McIver-Traywick

The Surveyor

Lonetree Reservoir, located northwest of Berthoud, will remain open to the public in 2018. Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) has managed the recreation area and held the lease since the 1970s from Consolidated Home Supply Ditch Co. but was recently outbid for the lease by Berthoud Heritage Metropolitan District (BHMD) an umbrella organization associated with the Heron Lakes development.

“We are thrilled to have been awarded the lease of Lonetree Reservoir,” said BHMD President Jon Turner. “We will keep this amenity open to the public. We have the resources to improve, manage and maintain this reservoir to an elevated level in which we have not seen with the current lessee.”

The reservoir is a popular destination for local anglers. Current fishing regulations will remain the same until June 2018 under the care of CPW. Biologists through the CPW will be assessing the sportfish available in the water and, according to Emily Kupec, a spokesperson for Hillside Commercial Group, the property developer, the exact plan for whether the fish will be relocated to other CPW waters or not has not been determined.

The reservoir boarders the TPC Colorado golf course and the Heron Lakes Community development. The website for the development states, “With the community boasting over 4.5 miles of shoreline, recreational activities will include world-class fishing, boating and paddle boarding on both McNeil and Lonetree Reservoirs. There are also many residential lots that sit directly on the shore with an ability to have direct dock access to the water.”

When asked if there will be changes to how the reservoir is made accessible to the public Kupec said, “It will most likely remain consistent with how it is now.”

BHMD is required to provide public access to all its amenities, including leased recreation rights to the reservoir, as they are a governmental entity and political subdivision of the State of Colorado, designed to serve as a quasi-municipal corporation. A five-person board of directors over-sees the district.