The Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park is a 75-acre open space property owned and maintained by Arapahoe County Open Space, located in Centennial, Colorado. The park provides natural resource education as well as recreation opportunities. Current amenities include trails, interpretive signage, a trailhead parking area, an outdoor classroom area, a covered gazebo, and restrooms. A 5,100-foot reach of Cherry Creek runs through the middle of the park and provides storm conveyance, wildlife habitat, and water quality benefits. Urbanization and the resulting increase in storm runoff took their toll on the area’s natural systems, leading to stream erosion, loss of vegetation and infrastructure damage. To manage these effects, Arapahoe County Open Spaces, Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority, City of Centennial, Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority, and Mile High Flood District partnered in a project that restored the stream corridor and expanded recreational and educational amenities in the park.

Muller designed a wide range of improvements to achieve the project goals within the park. Stream reclamation improvements along the Cherry Creek corridor included a series of grade control structures to restore and stabilize the actively eroding channel. Grade control structures consisted of six riffle structures, three sculpted concrete drop structures, and a loose boulder/sheet pile tie-in drop structure. Also, the project created two secondary Cherry Creek channels to enhance and expand the riparian corridor and improve flood capacity. Other stream improvements include bioengineered bank protection, overbank grading, stabilization of tributary channels where they enter Cherry Creek, and reseeding and planting of trees and shrubs. All stream reclamation improvements will preserve/enhance drainage and wildlife benefits; protect and enhance water quality; and maintain the natural qualities of the corridor.

Recreational amenities within the project site were improved as well. These improvements built upon the original Ecological Park facilities that were constructed in the late 1990s. A 1-mile-long crusher fines trail loop, including a new trail crossing over Cherry Creek, were constructed. Also, children’s garden and a series of smaller informal crusher fines trails were constructed to provide park users with enhanced education opportunities and access to the creek and adjacent riparian areas.