Overview
Get to know the Conservancy
About Us
The High Line Canal Conservancy is a tax-exempt nonprofit formed in 2014 by a passionate coalition to provide leadership and harness the region’s commitment to enhancing and permanently protecting the High Line Canal. With support from each jurisdiction and in partnership with Denver Water, the Conservancy is leading a collaborative and region-wide effort to ensure that the Canal is protected and enhanced for future generations.
What We Do
The mission of the Conservancy is to preserve, protect and enhance the 71-mile High Line Canal, in partnership with the public. To accomplish our mission we will:
- Steward the future of the Canal through leadership, education and advocacy
- Engage local communities to protect and preserve the Canal
- Build a strong community that is representative of the diverse people and communities along the Canal
- Establish sustainable partnerships between diverse geographic regions and jurisdictions
- Maintain and revise our ambitious and transformative community vision and plan for the Canal in collaboration with the public
- Champion implementation of The Plan for the High Line Canal
Why We Do It
Our Canal is one of the nation’s most spectacular linear parks, connecting communities, people and nature. Our vision for the future is a permanently preserved 71-mile linear greenway that:
- Creates Connections: the Canal connects diverse communities and people to each other and nature
- Enhances Recreation: the Canal serves as a recreational spine that stitches together a regional trail system
- Supports Local Economies: the Canal is an urban generator that infuses new life into the economy of surrounding communities
- Improves Environmental Health and Climate Resiliency: the Canal is an ecological asset supporting 71-miles of wildlife and natural environment
Our impact
The Conservancy is committed to preserving and enhancing the Canal with projects and programs that improve quality of life and the environment and provide measurable benefits for all people. The Conservancy is working with its partners to:
- Ensure permanent protection of the 71-mile Canal with sustainable funding and enhancements
- Enhance public use of the Canal through improved access, safety and quality of visitor experience
- Improve environmental health for the Canal with region-wide benefits through stormwater management and other ecological enhancements
The Canal Today
As one of the longest (over 71 miles) urban trails in the country, the Canal twists through the most populated area of Colorado while crossing multiple and varied communities. Over 350,000 residents reside within one mile of the Canal and recent data indicates that annually more than 1 million people use the Canal as a recreational asset.
With the indisputable urgency for conservation and environmental protection of the natural places we love, the Canal has become a prime example of how we must look at the future differently than the past. More than 80 percent of the water diverted to the Canal seeps into the ground or evaporates prior to reaching a paying water customer, which means that the community needs to generate uses for the Canal and its greenway that will preserve the qualities that people love about it–spending time walking, riding and recreating along the Canal. To that end, the Conservancy and Denver Water are pursuing a comprehensive planning project to examine the long-term purpose of the Canal and its natural and recreational resources.
The Future of the Canal
The Canal is at a turning point in its future – a point at which, we, the community, need to proactively envision uses for the Canal and its greenway that will preserve and enhance the well-loved qualities of this incredible environmental and recreational asset. Help shape the future of the Canal and get involved in upcoming design and implementation projects.
