One of the Denver area’s most popular recreation destinations is growing. That’s after Jefferson County Parks and Open Space recently closed on 347 acres of historic ranchland adjacent to Matthews/Winters Park and Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. Braun Ranch has forever loomed in the near distance behind the famed venue, perhaps unbeknownst to concertgoers and hikers and mountain bikers of Matthews/Winters Park’s nearly 2,400 acres on either side. “It was hidden in plain sight,” said Jeffco Parks and Open Space’s Community Connections Director Matt Robbins, “and we’re thrilled we’re able to acquire it.” As is The Conservation Fund, which led negotiations on the $7.3 million deal that was funded by Jeffco’s sales tax-supported acquisition fund, with $2.3 million coming from Great Outdoors Colorado. “Protecting this stunning landscape adjacent to Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a big win for Coloradans and visitors to our state,” The Conservation Fund’s Justin Spring said in a statement.…