Hand-dug between 1879 and 1883 to bring water from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to Denver’s Front Range farms and ranches, the Canal has evolved from an ambitious irrigation project into a cherished regional greenway. Today, it stands as a recreational and ecological treasure, helping over one million annual users encounter nature, exercise and build community.
Founded in 2014, the Conservancy, in collaboration with the Canal Collaborative’s 15 regional partners, has worked tirelessly to preserve, protect, and enhance this remarkable open space. Here are some of the highlights from the first decade:
A Note from our CEO Harriet Crittenden LaMair
In our tenth year, 2024, we reached a monumental milestone: Denver Water transferred 45 miles of the Canal to Arapahoe County, along with a conservation easement held by the Conservancy. This easement is the strongest legal tool available to ensure the Canal is permanently protected as a linear open space park and trail while preserving its natural environment, preventing future development, and maintaining public utility uses.
Even with all of these accomplishments, our work is far from over. The past decade was about laying the foundation—now, we look ahead with ambitious goals for the future. The Canal’s transformation has always been powered by community support, and we look forward to continuing to walk with you.
Here’s to the next 10 years of impact and innovation!
The mission of the Conservancy is to preserve, protect and enhance the 71-mile High Line Canal, in partnership with the public.
The High Line Canal’s 71 miles will be preserved and enhanced as a greenway that connects people to nature and binds varied communities together from the foothills to the plains.
At the core of the work of the Conservancy is equity and inclusion. The High Line Canal is a treasured resource that connects diverse communities throughout the Denver Metro Area to the outdoors. Our goal is to support healthy lifestyles, improve the natural environment and enhance the Canal’s infrastructure, ensuring that all people of the region have access to a safe and welcoming outdoor space.
We have secured more funding to improve the Canal through the diverse neighborhoods of the Northeast (Aurora, Denver and unincorporated Arapahoe County) where historically, investment into the Canal’s natural resources have been limited. In 2024, we continued to deep involve community members in the design of trail improvements to hear first-hand their vision for the Canal as a vibrant part of their lives.
Since 2023, the Northeast Community Advisory Committee has supported the Conservancy’s work within the Northeast communities. As community representatives, they aim to create a peaceful and inspired destination throughout the Northeast corridor of the Canal where current and future generations of individuals and their families can connect and enjoy one another and the outdoors.
At Dine for the High Line in 2024, the Northeast Community Advisory Committee received the Nina Beardsley Itin Community Impact Award. Several committee members shared about their work and passion in the video to the right.
Thanks to tremendous support from the Canal community, the $33 million Great Lengths for the High Line Campaign successfully concluded in 2024. Donations to the Great Lengths campaign are matched by public funds, totaling over $100 million for trail and natural resource improvement projects along all 71 miles of the Canal. Many of these projects are already underway. Thank you for helping to bring the Plan for the High Line Canal to life!
In 2024, we were honored to receive a $7 million grant from Great Outdoors Colorado. The grant is part of GOCO’s Centennial Program, which invests in high-value, once-in-a-generation visions and projects that will create lasting impacts on the Centennial State and future generations. This funding was part of Great Lengths for the High Line and supports numerous projects in Denver and Aurora including:
closed
new overpass constructed
new trees planted
in operations and maintenance
permanently protected with a conservation easement
managed for stormwater, improving environmental health
joined the Canal Conservation Corps
youth engaged
supported our programs
total programs and event participants
Conservancy events and programs
rec, ed & community science participants
cubic yards of brush removed
pounds of trash removed
cumulative miles stewarded
cleared of invasive Russian olives
You can find us out on the Canal all year round. From winter wildlife tracking and spring bioblitzes to summer nocturnal nature hikes and fall birding, we’re always exploring the Canal. We host and cohost public programs along with partners like Aurora History Museum, Denver Audubon, and Denver Botanic Gardens. We also offer private learning adventures to schools, clubs, and other community groups. Watch the video on the right to hear about this year’s highlights.
The High Line Canal is a corridor of green space that many migrating birds rely on when moving through the Denver area to rest and refuel for their long journeys. It serves as a critical resource for birds and other wildlife in a developed area. To celebrate the wildlife, the Conservancy hosted nine birding walks in 2024, including participation in two Big Days, to help our community learn about wildlife and contribute to community science.
63
Species Seen
9
Birding Walks
68
Participants
“I had no experience with birding before this, and I loved learning about the birds in my neighborhood. It also felt good to be a part of the global conservation efforts for the Big Day. If you get the chance to attend a Conservancy event, please do!”
Independent cleanups give community members the ability to learn about the importance of environmental stewardship and actively participate in enhancing the ecological health of the Canal on their own time! In 2024 we aimed to keep the momentum from 2023 moving and we succeeded.
46
Cleanups Hosted
5,738
Pounds Of Trash
85.3
Miles Cleaned
Thanks to funding from GOCO we again partnered with Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) to remove invasive Russian olive from the Canal.
**Funds for this project were awarded by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), which receives a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds, to the Colorado Youth Corps Association for use by accredited conservation service corps. The goal of the program is to employ crews throughout the state on critical outdoor recreation and land conservation projects in partnership with local governments and open space agencies.
On June 24, the Conservancy hosted the second annual Summer Scamper, 5k for All presented by Arapahoe County. The event started and ended at Bible Park and kicked off with yoga to get the 5k participants warmed up and ready.
After the hard work of walking, rolling and running was done, over 600 people gathered at Bible Park to enjoy the Summer Fest. Live bluegrass music filled the air as people enjoyed food, drink and community.
600
Participants
$82k
Raised
22
Partners
Save the date: Summer Scamper 2025 is coming your way on Wednesday, June 25!
Dine for the High Line brought us back to Aurora and for a sold-out evening at the beautiful Community College of Aurora CentreTech Campus. The tents went up and as the sun went down the event came to life. High Line Canal community members, both old and new, gathered in support of this cherished resource. We honored Bill Silberstein as the High Line Hero as thanks for his tremendous effort to secure the Conservation Easement. We also celebrated the Northeast Community Advisory Committee as the recipients of the Nina Beardsley Itin Community Impact Award for all the work they do connecting communities to the Canal in the Northeast.
350
Guests
$290K
Raised
47
Partners
Save the date for the next Dine for the High Line on September 12, 2025. Sponsorship opportunities available here.
We deeply appreciate Bill Silberstein, the 2024 High Line Hero, for his countless hours of dedication to securing a conservation easement for the Canal. Watch the video honoring his work to learn more about the lasting impact Bill Silberstein had on the Canal.
S&D has been a dedicated partner of the Conservancy since the beginning. Over the years, they have offered marketing and advertising support, including to the Summer Scamper brand, Great Lengths campaign branding and messaging, Dine for the High Line, and numerous other projects.
Not only do they bring a creative and professional eye to our work, they have also offered countless hours of in-kind work. Their support has been invaluable and has helped in the Conservancy’s success over the past decade.
After the success of the Great Lengths campaign, S&D published a case study of the project, which you can see here.
The Canal Collaborative is a formal collaboration between 15 regional partners to preserve and enhance the Canal. The Conservancy serves as the backbone organization providing facilitation, communications and coordination of the partners to enhance collaboration and advance implementation of The Plan for the High Line Canal.
Collaborative members have been hard at work maintaining and enhancing the trail.
Please click through the project highlights below to learn more about 15 projects that progressed through various stages of design and construction in 2024.
Mile 2
Activation Projects & Amenities
The Conservancy, in partnership with Douglas County, advanced the design of enhancements to the small, informal trailhead at Waterton Road and the High Line Canal.
Mile 13.5
Access, Connectivity & Safety Improvement
Douglas County and Highlands Ranch Metro District are working to widen US 85 (Santa Fe Drive) from Highlands Ranch Parkway to C-470. The project includes the construction of an underpass for the High Line Canal trail at US 85 that will open in 2025.
Mile 20.5
Access, Connectivity & Safety Improvement
South Suburban Park and Recreation District, in partnership with Arapahoe County and the Conservancy, replaced the Elati Street pedestrian bridge. The project features a wider bridge with a smoother ramp to improve cyclist and pedestrian movements and safety. New site amenities were also installed including a bench, landscape boulders and birdhouses.
Mile 21
Activation Projects & Amenities
South Suburban Park and Recreation District, in partnership with Arapahoe County and the Conservancy, partnered on the design of amenities and safety improvements at the juncture of the High Line Canal trail and Lee Gulch trail in Littleton. The project created a pause place near the historic Lee Gulch flume, one of three wooden flumes remaining on the Canal, adding seating and interpretation along with select natural play elements.
Mile 22.5
Access, Connectivity & Safety Improvement
Arapahoe County, in partnership with the Cities of Littleton and Centennial, secured funding to design an underpass at the Canal’s second crossing of Broadway, just south of Arapahoe Road.
Mile 26.5-33
Ecological Health & Natural Resource Management
The City of Greenwood Village has continued its efforts to reinvigorate the tree canopy and enhance the Canal’s ecological health by planting 50 new trees on the Canal in 2024. This planting project builds on the 150 trees planted by Greenwood Village in 2021-2023.
Mile 39
Access, Connectivity & Safety Improvement
The City and County of Denver, in partnership with Arapahoe County, are constructing a new underpass for the High Line Canal beneath Yale Avenue in southeast Denver. This project addresses the need for improved multimodal connections, reducing congestion, and updating outdated traffic signal infrastructure at the E Yale Avenue/S Holly Street intersection. The underpass represents a crucial step in enhancing the safety and convenience of trail users. Construction will begin in 2025.
Mile 48-50.5
Access, Connectivity & Safety Improvement
Denver Parks & Recreation (DPR) and the Conservancy are working in partnership to improve the High Line Canal trail between Parker Rd. and Havana St. In 2024, DPR completed the design and engineering for this section of the Canal and in 2025 construction will begin to upgrade the existing 8’ asphalt trail to a 12’ concrete trail with an adjacent 6’ crusher fines trail.
Mile 51-53.5
Activation Projects & Amenities
The Conservancy, in partnership with Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space, launched a community-centered design process for Aurora in the in the central Aurora neighborhoods of Expo Park, Highline Villages, Highland Park East and Lyn Knoll.
Mile 57-62.5
Activation Projects & Amenities
The Conservancy, in partnership with Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space, advanced designs of activation and amenity areas along the Canal in north Aurora. These improvements include an outdoor classroom, two overlooks and three enhanced neighborhood access points. In addition, the Conservancy is working with a local artist to incorporate new art installations near Hinkley High School.
Mile 61.5
Activation Projects & Amenities
The Conservancy, in partnership with Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space, advanced designs to complete site improvements at the Triple Creek Trailhead. These improvements include a gathering space, natural play, planting and bike skills course. The Conservancy is also working with the City to install public art through a request for proposals process.
Mile 62-65
Activation Projects & Amenities
The City of Aurora closed what was the largest trail gap on the Canal by constructing 3 miles of trail and an overpass over I-70. The project connected the Canal from Colfax all the way to the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood of northeast Denver.
The photo below shows Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman celebrating the opening of the I-70 overpass in June 2024.”
Mile 65-68
Activation Projects & Amenities
The Conservancy advanced designs for the improvement of the High Line Canal trail in Green Valley Ranch, in partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation. The plans include an outdoor classroom, irrigated tree planting, bike skills course and fitness stations.
Canal-Wide
Ecological Health & Natural Resource Management
The Canal’s ecosystem is in a time of transition as reduced irrigation deliveries are impacting the character of the vegetation along the corridor. The Canal Collaborative partners have come together to develop a Natural Resources Management Plan that will guide maintenance and restoration of the Canal into the future.
Canal-Wide
Ecological Health & Natural Resource Management
The Mile High Flood District is partnering with all of the jurisdictions along the Canal to lead a Stormwater Transition and Management Plan. The plan will update the model of how much stormwater is reaching the Canal and recommend management strategies to safely convey this water back to natural waterways.
The fundraising portion of the Great Lengths Campaign was successfully completed in 2024, and projects will continue to be carried out over the next 3 years. $2.6m in cash was added to the Stewardship Fund, which had a balance of $8.2 million at year-end. The Conservancy also saw revenue growth in individual giving by 27% and significant support from jurisdictional partners for natural resource management planning. The revenue chart excludes investment income of $650,095 (both realized and unrealized gains) of which 69% is restricted or designated to the Stewardship Fund. Expenses were $4.6m with 54% allocated to Great Lengths Campaign projects and upfront stewardship expenses.
The Conservancy received a clean audit report from an independent accounting firm, Brock and Company, CPAs P.C.
Revenue – $7,255,065
Expenses – $4,595,149
Cash & Cash Equivalents
Investments
Pledges Receivable
Other Assets
$5,976,702
$7,225,010
$3,948,781
$93,040
Total Assets
$17,243,533
Liabilities
Net Assets With Donor Restrictions
Net Assets Without Donor Restrictions
$458,095
$15,742,119
$1,043,319
Total Liabilities & Net Assets
$17,243,533
Thank you for making this work possible!
Donors with a ↟ supported Great Lengths for the High Line
Thank you, Founding Partners! These visionary, philanthropic leaders, families, neighbors, and friends symbolically adopted one of the Canal’s 71 miles to help the Conservancy raise $1.78 million of catalytic funds. The High Line Canal Conservancy Board of Directors, development committee, and staff recognize the Founding Partners for their leadership and commitment.
Thank you to our donors!
*elected official
