New Larimer County owned open space farm to give special tours

Join staff from Larimer County Department of Natural Resources on a special tour of the department’s new open space farm southwest of Berthoud, on Wednesday, October 11, 10:00 a.m.-12 noon, or Saturday, October 14, 10 a.m.-12 noon. Participants will meet at Grace Place, located at 375 Meadowlark Drive, Berthoud, and carpool to the Little Thompson Farm.

In 2016, Larimer County purchased the farm, formerly known as the Malchow Farm, and now referred to as the Little Thompson Farm for its proximity to the Little Thompson River. Tour participants will get a behind-the-scenes look at the farm’s operation, discover how water in the West impacts landscapes and livelihoods in northern Colorado, and learn the intriguing history of the farm, which has several historic buildings and sites, some of which date back to the early 1900s.

Larimer County will keep the farm in active production. The County was able to offset the cost of the farm and its valuable water by entering into an innovative water-sharing agreement with the City and County of Broomfield this past August. As part of these special tours, Larimer County staff will talk about the first-of-its-kind water agreement for Colorado and how the farm fits the mission of the Department of Natural Resources.

The farm is not typically open to the public, so these tours are a unique way to visit and learn about this new open space.

The tours are free, but registration is required. Space is very limited. To sign up, go to https://offero.larimer.org and look for the Little Thompson Farm Public Tours. Contact Heather Young with questions at (970) 619-4489.

For more about the Little Thompson Farm, visit https://larimer.org/naturalresources/openlands/acquisitions/little-thompson-farm

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