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The Frisco Historic Park and Museum, in collaboration with Frisco Elementary School and Colorado Water Conservation Board, recently installed new interpretive signage at the Willow Preserve Nature Trail located near the corner of Tenmile Drive and Meadow Creek Drive in Frisco. Community members are invited to the ribbon cutting on Monday, June 2 from 4:30pm – 6:00pm, with the ribbon cutting taking place at 4:45pm. To celebrate this collaborative community effort, free coffee, hot coca, and cookies may be enjoyed before heading out on the trail to explore the new interpretive signage. Parking is limited, and attendees are encouraged to walk or bike to the trailhead. No pets are permitted at this event.
New Signage in Collaboration with Frisco Elementary School
The Town of Frisco received a Colorado Water Plan grant for engagement and innovation from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, who are matching 50% of funds to replace the faded interpretive signage along the Willow Preserve Nature Trail and overlook. Keeping the initial intention and tradition of being a community centered space, the Frisco Historic Park and Museum reached out Frisco Elementary School to partner on this project. Frisco Elementary School students were given a research topic that was assigned by grade level. Students then presented their research on flora and fauna found in the Willow Preserve to Town of Frisco staff and Frisco Elementary School parents over the course of two days at the Frisco Town Hall. Museum staff then used the students’ findings to create new signage, along with drawings by the students.
All new signage for this wayside exhibit is now provided in both English and Spanish. The new signs cover similar topics, starting with information on Frisco’s surrounding mountains and the creation of the Willow Preserve at the parking lot entrance to the trail. Once on the trail, signs elaborate on the flora and fauna found within the wetland habitat and why this environment is important to their wellbeing.
Background on the Willow Preserve Nature Trail
The Town of Frisco installed the Willow Preserve Nature Trail and Outlook in 2004/2005 with a $21,000 mini-grant from Great Outdoors Colorado. This grant was used to create the 1,500-foot gravel loop trail, produce educational signs about native flora and fauna, build an overlook, and complete a six-space parking area. The overlook and parking lot were designed as the entrance to the property and the trail’s start and end point. Town Council and Planning Commission provided direction for the project to be designed as an accessible trail.
Based on records from the Frisco Historic Park and Museum, the trail is reported to be Town of Frisco’s first environmental interpretive nature trail with an overlook area. Town staff focused on the importance of highlighting Frisco’s fragile alpine habitat and providing a diverse recreational experience for the community. Support for the project came from the 1999 Frisco Master Plan, the 2001 Frisco Open Space Plan/Frisco Parks and Rec Master Plan, the 2000 Frisco Paved Pathways Plan, and the 2002 Summit County Ten Mile Basin Master Plan.
Other funds for the project came from a donation in November 1999 from the Meadow Creek Villas Homeowner Association for the enhancement of the Willow Preserve property. The Town purchased the original 9 acres in 1999, then an additional 4.5 acres in 2001. In 2002, Colorado Headwaters LLC also donated funds for the maintenance and management of Willow Preserve.
In 2004 and 2005, the Town of Frisco Planning Department worked with the seventh grade English Language Learner Science Class at Summit Middle School to craft the sign content. This project built on existing wetland signage installed in April 2002 along a boardwalk overlook with students researching, writing, and creating posters, which were then displayed at Town Hall, about the native flora and fauna,.
At that time, eight signs with text and photos were installed along the southwest side of the trail going counterclockwise. Topics cover the preserve itself, surrounding mountains, and wildlife and plant life in the wetlands. Since then, six signs have faded beyond legibility, all eight signs show significant damage, and a section of the trail loop floods each spring as part of the wetland habitat cycle.
Frisco Historic Park and Museum Information
The Frisco Historic Park and Museum provides the opportunity to experience history in an up-close and personal way right on Frisco’s Main Street. The Museum’s collection of original historic buildings, including the Schoolhouse Museum, contains artifacts, exhibits, and photographs that tell the lively stories of Frisco’s past and reflect the philosophy of embracing history while also connecting it to our lives today.
The Historic Park is open from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Tuesday – Sunday and is closed on Mondays. More information regarding the Museum may be found at FriscoHistoricPark.com.
