Kaleb Poor
Staff Writer
The University of Wyoming has purchased 1,233 acres of the undeveloped Pilot Hill property east of Laramie at a cost of $2.367 million, according to a press release issued Wed.
“We are just so excited,” said Sarah Brown Matthews, an organizer with the Pilot Hill Project. “We have been working in partnership with the University since this offer was originally brought to the community.”
UW’s Board of Trustees approved the purchase during their Nov. 14 meeting. In the release, UW indicated they made the purchase in an effort to “connect the university campus and Laramie neighborhoods” with recreation opportunities while securing access to Pilot Hill’s water resources.
Pilot Hill, a property sized at just under nine square miles, is home to the Casper Aquifer, a geologic feature in the foothills east of Laramie that filters rain and melted snow into the Laramie Valley. The Pilot Hill Project credits the Casper Aquifer with providing the majority of Albany County’s potable water, according to the project.
“I believe it’s about 60% of the freshwater for Albany County comes from the Casper Aquifer,” said Matthews. “All of the Pilot Hill property overlays the aquifer… it’s a critical parcel in that there’s a lot of exposed limestone formations on the property where the water (rainfall) is seeping directly into the aquifer as we speak.”
Because Pilot Hill slopes gently into the Laramie Valley, it is able to collect a significant amount of rainfall and winter snowpack. As water flows toward Laramie, it seeps into natural limestone deposits, which filter the water before it reaches public wells.
“This purchase also aligns with the university’s interests by creating a consistent pattern of ownership of lands adjoining UW’s golf course property and providing a resource for the university’s future water needs,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Dave True in the release. “This is a clear statement of the university’s support for the Pilot Hill Project.”
The purchase is seen as the first major step forward in achieving the Pilot Hill Project’s goal of transforming the 5,500 acre property a natural amenity. If that goal is achieved, Pilot Hill will become a public access area where locals and tourists alike will have access to outdoor recreation opportunities. True said the potential of Pilot Hill as a recreation area to be “world-class.”
Formerly used as a sheep ranch, Pilot Hill will be closed to motor vehicles to protect both the aquifer and local wildlife. Matthews said the Pilot Hill Project has hired a firm to help with designing foot paths and sustainably developing the area into a natural amenity. Matthews described her vision of a future Pilot Hill as “the western Central Park.”
“The non-motorized recreation on Pilot Hill will not only protect the aquifer,” said Matthews, “but also there will be recreation and wildlife habitat preserved… it will help [make Laramie] an enticing place for businesses to start and grow. It will be just a really great benefit all around.”
UW’s purchase is a significant first step in acquiring Pilot Hill, but much of the overall project remains to be done. With a stagnant state economy and potential budget cuts looming in the state legislature, questions remain as to when or whether UW will be able to purchase the remaining 4,000 acres of Pilot Hill.
