Douglas Mountain Acquisitions

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by John Litz

By the end of 2015, Jefferson County Open Space will have closed on three parcels of land totaling 1,036 acres that include the summit of Douglas Mountain. The map shows that most of the three properties are located west of the intersection of Golden Gate Canyon and Robinson Hill Roads. The small acreage to the north of the intersection contains the Centennial House, which was built of stone between 1872 and 1876. The building served as a stage stop for travelers along the historic Gregory Toll Road between Golden and Central City.

PLAN Jeffco has advocated for the acquisition of properties on Douglas Mountain for more than 20 years. We are pleased that the owners have allowed Open Space to preserve them.

The upper slopes of the southern part of the property have numerous locations that provide scenic views to the east and south – Mount Tom and Centennial Cone. The northeast side of the property is adjacent to 573 acres owned by Open Space that abuts the wildlife preserve portion of Golden Gate State Park. The southern boundary is about one mile north of Centennial Cone Park.

Douglas Mountain Acquisitions - heartleaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia)The property is part of the ecosystem that contains drainage to both Clear Creek and Ralston Creek. Parts of the ecosystem were included in the “2010-2011 Survey of Critical Biological Resources in Jefferson County by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program”. The property on the west, Blackhawk Mountain, is forested with Douglas fir and aspen and supports a small, montane grassland. It was rated at “B-5 – General Biodiversity.” The property to the east, Mount Tom, supports limber pine, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and Douglas fir. It was rated “B-3 – High Biodiversity.” The southern extent of the Douglas Mountain property was certified for the previous owners, through the American Tree Farm System, as a sustainable Tree Farm. A site visit by Open Space staff identified heartleaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia), which is an indicator of a healthy, highly functioning ecosystem.

The properties are included in the North Mountain Community Plan, which recommends preserving as much open space as possible, especially along the Golden Gate Canyon Road Corridor. The Plan also recommends diffusing the impacts of recreational development throughout the area. Public access probably will be from points on both Golden Gate Canyon and Robinson Hill Roads.

Open Space will take two years or so to study and understand the natural resources on the property. Then the planning group will look at the recreational possibilities of the property. Any development, probably, is at least five years away. 

Trails Talk (December 2015)

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by John Litz

The Fall Trails Talk was held November 10 at the Buchanan Recreation Center in Bergen Park.

Unfortunately the attendance was poor with more staff there than public.

Tom Hoby opened with a quick review of accomplishments over the summer (mainly completing the repair of the flood damage with the help of many volunteers.) He also discussed the climbing management guidelines, the revised activity permits, and the results of surveys where designated trail use was evaluated. In this case, the trails were designated for all users uphill with a separate downhill trail for cyclists. The results are still being evaluated as to whether it would be appropriate when designing trails on new parks.

After a few questions from the audience, those in attendance were able to talk with staff at various table stations that included:

Climbing management guidelines

Completed flood recovery work

Designated use trails survey

Revised activity permits

Revised activity permits

Trail volunteer projects

Safe winter outdoor experiences

Your trail experience

Be Wild

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by John Litz

In the summer of 2015, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), solicited proposals for a grant program designed to get low-income children and families more involved in the outdoors. The program consisted of two phases:

1) grants up to $100,000 for planning during 2015 and 2016

2) and grants in 2016 for implementing from a $5 million pool.

Jeffco Open Space was made aware of the program early in 2015 and gathered a group of 31 agencies to assist in developing the grant application. The proposal criteria were not available until June, but that did not keep the agencies from regular meetings and developing ideas for the proposal. The proposal was submitted in mid-August and awards were made in October. Jeffco received a planning grant of $75,000.

The objective of the “Be Wild Jeffco” proposal is to increase access to and availability of outdoor programs to residents along the Eastern Corridor of Jeffco—essentially Sheridan to Wadsworth and north of Hampden, plus a node going west of Wadsworth between 6th and 26th avenues. Arvada already has a program in place serving the southeast corner of the city and Lakewood had a program this summer focused on the area surrounding Mountair Park (14th and Depew).

The 31 agencies, ranging from the city park departments to the Forest Service and Denver Zoo, will be working on developing a detailed proposal to present to GOCO in August 2016. The proposal then will serve as basis of GOCO making an implementation grant.

Land and Water Conservation Fund Expires

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by John Litz

Congress allowed the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to expire Oct. 1. With it could go thousands of projects nurtured along by people who had hoped that the chaos of a political party in a high fever would not reach into their favorite places. But it has. Neighborhood playgrounds, walking trails bordering bustling cities, national parks, beaches, bridges, bike paths and birding sites are all imperiled by a handful of Congresspersons. For a half century, everything including the hugely popular Appalachian Trail and the memorial in Pennsylvania where Flight 93 went down Sept. 11, 2001, has relied on money from this fund, generated by revenues from oil and gas leases.

Representative Rob Bishop of Utah, R, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee is the primary impediment. He clearly doesn’t like public land or parks. If Bishop would only get out of the way and let renewal of this popular fund come up for a full vote, it would pass with bipartisan support, as evidenced by commitment letters from members of both parties. The fund was last renewed 25 years ago, and sailed through with nary a complaint. This money has helped to protect places in all 50 states and 98 percent of American counties. Bishop has complained that the money is a “slush fund,” misused by those who want to help expand the public land footprint.

Land and Water Conservation Fund ExpiresMore than 40 percent of the National Parks contain privately owned inholdings. The LWCF is the main source of funds used to acquire these inholdings. The Fund has been used to acquire more than 7,000 acres in Zion National Park and about 5,000 acres in Dinosaur National Monument.

Much of the fund has been spent assisting in providing conservation easements on private lands. It has been used by many states, counties, cities, and districts as a source of matching funds for park, trail and similar projects. In Jefferson County the LWCF provided Open Space with part of the funding for the acquisition of Clement Park.

From 2011 through 2014, 29,200 acres were conserved in Colorado with the help of LWCF dollars. The total spent on all of the projects within the state was $26,300,000. 

Park Association Releases Economic Impacts Study

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The National Recreation and Park Association unveiled a study showing that local and regional public park agencies generated nearly $140 billion in economic activity and supported almost 1 million jobs in 2013.

In CoCrown Hill OS Park with dog walkerslorado only, local and regional parks generated $4.6 billion in operations and capital spending, representing 36,247 jobs statewide.

Colorado was second in the nation in spending on a per capita basis with $878 per person, compared to Illinois in first place with $1,007 per resident and Utah, with $706 per resident in third place.

The Economic Impact of Local Parks study is largely based on estimates of spending by local and regional park agencies on annual operations and capital expenditures.  It does not include visitor spending or any estimates of improvement in health and wellness or property values.

Researchers derived spending estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 Annual Survey of Public employment and payroll. Capital spending data was based on the ratio of capital spending to operational spending as shown by the NRPA database for 1,169 local and regional park agencies.

The National Recreation and Park Association, based in Ashburn, Va., commissioned the study from the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University.

The study is available at nrpa.org

 

Developer Gives Up On Applewood Golf Course Rezoning

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Applewood_Golf_Course_2As of Nov. 6, developer Carlson and Associates has dropped its plan to buy the 145-acre Applewood Golf Course in unincorporated Jefferson County near Wheat Ridge. The Prospect Recreation and Park District is now in a position to buy the property as open space following a Nov. 3 election in which voters approved a 1-mill property tax as well as an increase in debt up to $19 million to buy the land from Molson Coors.  The beer company has owned the golf course since the 60s. Molson Coors said in a statement that they are considering all options including selling the land to park district.  Carlson and Associates was seeking a rezoning to allow for 424 homes. The course and restaurant are at 140001 W. 32nd Avenue.

 

Park Visitors Attest to Restorative Effects of Nature

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Jeffco Open Space logoResearch points to both the mind-clearing and brain-boosting benefits of spending time outdoors. Jeffco Open Space visitors provide anecdotal evidence of the restorative effects of nature.

“Spending time in nature gives you time to think, to get ideas in your mind that, with crowds and people around you, you might not,” said Allan Reid of Arvada.

A 2012 study found that people immersed in nature for four days boosted their performance on a creative problem-solving test by 50 percent.1 The results support what Albert Einstein once said: “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.”

Dominic Dezzutti of Highlands Ranch is a believer. “Get out there in nature wherever it is,” he said, “because that’s what’s going to clear your mind, whether it’s a breeze, the sunshine or the view. You then get an idea that whatever you’re facing, you can overcome it.”

That sentiment is in keeping with 2007 findings from the University of Essex that in a group of people suffering from depression, 90 percent felt a higher level of self-esteem after a walk through a country park, and almost three-quarters felt less depressed.2

Time spent outdoors helps Jeffco Open Space visitors organize thoughts to make better choices. Said Rich Urbanowski of Lakewood, a frequent visitor to Mount Falcon Park,  “It helps me prioritize some of the things I have going in life.”

According to a 2014 Behavioral Sciences publication, “Exposure to natural environments protects people against the impact of environmental stressors and offer physiological, emotional and attention restoration more so than urban environments.”3

Of the benefit of time spent in nature, Hannah Mehsikomer of Denver puts it simply. “It’s a way to recuperate,” she said. “Everyone works too much during the week.”

1 Atchley RA, Strayer DL, Atchley P. Creativity in the wild: improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings. PLoS One 2012;7(12).

2 Peacock J, Hine R, Pretty J. Got the Blues, then Find Some Greenspace: The Mental Health Benefits of Green Exercise Activities and Green Care; University of Essex: Colchester, UK, 2007.

 3 Berto R. The role of nature in coping with psycho-physiological stress: a literature review on restorativeness. Behav Sci 2014;4(4):394-409.
Jeffco Open Space was founded as a land conservation organization in 1972 to preserve land, protect park and natural resources and provide healthy nature-based experiences. Funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax, the agency has preserved over 54,680 acres, and created 28 regional parks and 230 miles of trails in Jefferson County.

Jefferson County Public Health is committed to promoting health, preserving the environment and preventing injury and disease for the residents of Jefferson County, Colorado. For more information, call (303) 232-6301 or visit jeffco.us/public-health.

Will LebzelterJeffco Open Space logo_capra

Communications Associate

D 303-271-5961, C 720-556-3353

jeffco.us/parks

 

Invitation to In Plein Sight 2016

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Dear Open Space and Art Lovers,

In Plein Sight - PLAN Jeffco is excited to announce a series of events to celebrate the beauty of our open space in September & October 2016. Plein air painting by Don Hamilton (pictured here) and many others.For more than 40 years PLAN Jeffco has worked for the protection and conservation of our open spaces. Because of our initiatives, Jefferson County established the first county-wide Open Space lands program and has protected more than 55,000 acres of open space lands with outstanding scenic, natural or recreational values.

As open spaces and art lovers, PLAN Jeffco is excited to announce a series of events in September and October 2016 to celebrate the beauty of our open space. These events will include an art exhibit, a week of plein air painting in our Jefferson County Open Space parks and an art show with the freshly painted landscapes to view and purchase.

In addition to providing a unique cultural experience for our entire Metro Denver community, these events will allow attendees to bring the beauty of Jeffco’s Open Space parks into their homes and offices as a reminder of why we live in Colorado.

We invite you to join us to promote these events by becoming a sponsor!

Proceeds from your sponsorship will help PLAN Jeffco continue its successful efforts to conserve our open space lands. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Margot Zallen, President of PLAN Jeffco

Margot Zallen, President of PLAN Jeffco

PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner

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PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner 
with the County Commissioners to Celebrate 43 years of Conserving Jeffco’s Open Spaces

“Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts”

Date: September 21, 2015

Location: The Vista at Applewood Golf Course, 14001 W 32nd Ave, Golden, CO 80401

Honorees: Clear Creek Land Conservancy, Colorado Open Lands and Mountain Area Land Trust.

Their efforts have protected over 11,000 acres in Jeffco and over 290,000 acres in Colorado.
For this we all owe them a big THANK YOU!

The September 21 dinner in the Vista Room at the Applewood Golf Course was enjoyed by the almost 100 attendees. The dinner was also attended by the three County Commissioners and Tom Hoby, the Open Space Program Director who joined with PLAN Jeffco in honoring the Mountain Area Land Trust, Clear Creek Land Conservancy and Colorado Open Lands. All of these have been actively protecting Jeffco open space lands and two of these also focus their efforts on preserving lands throughout Colorado.

Representatives of the land trusts received framed photographs of properties that they have conserved. Peter Morales, a member of the PLAN Jeffco board, volunteered his services as photographer.

Claire Riegelman received the award for the Clear Creek Land Conservancy. The conservancy has protected lands on both sides of Clear Creek.

PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner - Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts - Claire Riegelman received the award for the Clear Creek Land Conservancy. The conservancy has protected lands on both sides of Clear Creek.

Dan Pike and Tony Caligiuri receive the award for Colorado Open Lands. Colorado Open Lands has protected lands along North Turkey Creek and adjacent to Golden Gate State Park.

PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner - Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts - Dan Pike and Tony Caligiuri receive the award for Colorado Open Lands which has protected lands along North Turkey Creek and adjacent to Golden Gate State Park.

Kurt Ballantyne receives the award for the Mountain Area Land Trust. MALT got its start with an easement on Noble Meadow and since then has protected many properties within the county, including a large area of Resort Valley.

PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner - Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts - Kurt Ballantyne receives the award for the Mountain Area Land Trust. MALT got its start with an easement on Noble Meadow and since then has protected many properties within the county, including a large area of Resort Valley.

Birds of Mount Falcon

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On September 29, seventeen members of the “Tuesday Birders” spent four and one-half hours looking for and counting birds at the West (upper) end of Mount Falcon Open Space Park. One hundred ninety-five individual birds, representing 31 species, were sighted. At the upper park’s elevation, about 7800 feet, both plains and mountain species can be seen.

The most common mountain species were:

nuthatches – 18 pygmy, 6 white-breasted, and 2 red-breasted; and

dark-eyed juncos – 18 gray-headed, 1 pink-sided, and 1 Oregon.

The most common plains species were:

robins – 15 American and

sparrows – 10 chipping and 2 juvenile whitecrowned.

Coopers Hawk. Photo by William H. Majoros (Wikipedia.org).

Cooper’s Hawk. Photo by William H. Majoros (Wikipedia.org).
Black-Capped Chickadees. Photo by CheepShot (Wikipedia.org).

Black-Capped Chickadees. Photo by CheepShot (Wikipedia.org).

Hawks included:

1 Cooper’s,

2 red-tailed, and

1 American kestrel (it really is a falcon).

Woodpeckers included:

2 Hairy and

3 northern flicker.

Jays included:

2 pinyon and

6 Steller’s.

Chickadees included:

16 mountain and

3 black-capped.

Bluebirds included:

39 western and

6 mountain.

Finches:

22 Cassin’s and

2 lesser goldfinch

Other birds identified were:

1 turkey vulture,

1 black-billed magpie,

3 American crow,

1 common raven,

2 brown creeper,

6 Townsend’s solitaire,

1 yellow-rumped warbler,

1 western tanager, and

1 pine siskin. 

See also:

Mount Falcon Park 

Copyright © 2015 Ann Bonnell