After years of court battles that ended in the Colorado Supreme Court, the town of Telluride finally received the deed to its prized Valley Floor, a 3-mile strip of land along the San Miguel River just south of town.

The town raised $50 million to condemn the property, which had belonged to developer Neal Blue of San Miguel Valley Corp.

The price of the land was court-mandated, and after Blue’s attempts to sway the Colorado Supreme Court failed, his company asked for the check, said Hilary White, director of Sheep Mountain Alliance and spokeswoman for Valley Floor Preservation Partners, two groups that worked to raise money to get the land for the town.

“On June 2, the Supreme Court issued their decision for the town, and we had to wait 14 or 15 days for a possible rehearing request from SMVC,” White said. “It did not happen, and basically the case is closed.”

The state Supreme Court ruling sent the case back to San Miguel County court, White said, where Judge Charles Greenacre ruled earlier this week that the 572-acre parcel belongs to the town.

The Town of Telluride Open Space Commission issued a news release earlier this week saying it will work on a comprehensive development plan for the land.

The first step is preserving the land from any future development, White said.

“A whole conservation easement needs to be put in place,” she said. “The town has hired Ecological Research Consultants Inc. to conduct a thorough scientific analysis for an environmental report that will dictate any necessary changes.”

The land is open for public use right now, White said, including hiking, fishing, kayaking and more, but no dogs are allowed.

“There’s a growing bird-watching effort out there, and we also want the area to be for educational purposes,” she said. “There will be no commercial uses allowed at this time.”

What will be allowed on the land will depend on the environmental study and a series of public meetings, White said.

“The idea is to let science guide what happens to the land,” she said.

Stephanie Warner, the town’s public affairs director, said the Telluride Town Council passed an ordinance Tuesday detailing uses allowed on the land while the environmental study is done. The ordinance and updates on the Valley Floor will be posted at telluride-co.gov, as will a schedule of public meetings and the details about a celebration party in August, she said.