Agenda Date: 09/16/2025
Subject:
Title
Resolution 88-2025: Approving an Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Littleton and the High Line Canal Conservancy for the 2024 grant award for High Line Canal stewardship projects regarding the High Line Canal Irrigated Tree Planting Pilot Project
Body
From:
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager
Prepared by:
Brent Soderlin, Director of Public Works & Utilities
Heather Hitzges, Executive Assistant, Public Works
Presentations:
N/A
PURPOSE:
To approve a resolution authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the City of Littleton and High Line Canal Conservancy for the 2024 grant award for High Line Canal Stewardship Projects regarding the High Line Canal Irrigated Tree Planting Pilot Project.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty; High-Quality Governance
DISCUSSION:
The City of Littleton and the High Line Canal Conservancy are partnering to design and implement an irrigated tree planting pilot project on the High Line Canal. As Littleton assumes maintenance of portions of the Canal with unhealthy and declining tree populations, one priority is understanding how to successfully and sustainably establish new trees on the corridor. This project will pilot the concept of installing permanent irrigation infrastructure on the corridor, allowing Littleton to understand the implications for tree establishment and health, water use, cost and assess the feasibility of implementing this approach along other segments of the Canal in the future.
BACKGROUND:
In 2023, the City of Littleton conducted an Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. The report overlayed the tree canopy with land cover classification, land use, census block group, and urban heat temperatures. Combining this data created a socio-economic equity map, showing a holistic framing of where minority populations are not receiving equal distribution of environmental benefits. Too often maps of canopy cover are just map...
Click here for full text