The buffer zone was established along either side of the river and has prevented development of three platted and zoned residential parcels within the Aspen Glen planned unit development. It has accompanied the Aspen Glen community since 1992 (abiding with an eagle protection law from 1940) when it was first approved by Garfield County.

The buffer zone not only protects a popular habitat for eagles where they continue to hunt and fish, but the land is also habitat for deer, fox, a variety of birds and is a vital part of the elk migration through the valley. The effort to protect this habitat includes a diverse group of homeowners, who seek to protect this important habitat and open space.

According to the American Eagle Foundation, eagle nesting sites should be protected even if the eagle is not present at the time. Oftentimes the eaglets will remember the area where they were raised, and as they grow older they will return to that same area when they are ready to build a nest and reproduce. Furthermore, since the eagles continue to use the zone as a feeding area it is necessary that it remains protected.

The Aspen Glen Club and its affiliates- Club Corp and the Apollo Corporation- have offered the three parcels that they own within the Eagle Buffer Zone for sale and development.

The removal of the Eagle Buffer Zone will be a one time opportunity to boost the revenue for a large corporation and will not benefit us homeowners or the wildlife that lived here long before we arrived.

Already there have been “human-induced alterations” that have caused eagle nest abandonment (a violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act 1940), we must not allow this area to be hurt any further.