Starting the Discussion: Regional Conservation Networks

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by Vicky Gits

“We need to find out what’s on your radar screen and get those things on the map,”—Tom Hoby.

Jefferson County Open Space is encouraging conservation enthusiasts to think regionally and get together with like-minded individuals across county and organizational lines.

In pursuit of the goal Jeffco Open Space conceived and hosted a “Conservation Café,” to explore the idea of creating “conservation networks,” specifically four such networks, targeting four major drainage regions in Jefferson County.

Ralston Creek, Clear Creek, Bear Creek and Deer Creek potential conservation areas were discussed.

PLAN Jeffco and The Jeffco Outdoors Foundation joined in as sponsors of the half-day event and participated in the planning process. The idea for the event grew out of a proposal by PLAN Jeffco on how to implement the acquisition strategies in the recently adopted Open Space Master Plan.

Forty-five individuals involved in recreation, parks, nature preserves and watershed joined Open Space staff for the gathering November 20, 2014 at the Boettcher Mansion on Lookout Mountain. See side bar for the 35 organizations attending.

The goal was to introduce the concept of regional conservation networks and explore the possibility of creating regional conservation networks in Jefferson County.

The structure of the gathering was “World Café style.” Participants rotated among four conversation centers covering four geographic areas of concern: Ralston Creek, Bear Creek, Clear Creek and Deer Creek, all of which run from the western border of the county to the east.

Organizations represented at the Conservation Cafe:

Bear Creek Watershed Association
Boulder County Parks and Open Space
Clear Creek County
Clear Creek Land Conservancy
Coalition for the Upper South Platte
Colorado Department of Health and Environment
Colorado Ecological Services Office
Colorado Open Lands
Colorado State Land Board
Conifer Area Council
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
Denver Mountain Parks
Denver Mountain Parks Foundation
Denver Water
Douglas County Open Space & Natural Resources
Evergreen Audubon Society
Federal Highway Administration
Foothills Park & Recreation District
Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Great Outdoors Colorado
Jeffco Outdoors Foundation
Jefferson County Conservation District
Jefferson County Nature Association
Ken Caryl Master Association
City of Lakewood
Lariat Loop National Scenic Byway
National Park Service
Jeffco Open Space Advisory Committee
PLAN Jeffco
Rocky Mountain Wild
Table Mountains Conservation Fund
Team Evergreen
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
Water Action Network
City of Westminister

Executive director Tom Hoby set the stage by introducing the concept of regional conservation and describing the successful Chatfield Basin Conservation Network (CBCN), which was created in 2006 and functioned for about six years before disbanding. (See Chatfield Basin Conservation Network Green Infrastructure System: Conservation Connections for Nature and People, May 2006.

The CBCN consisted of 75 partners, including several developers. As a group they worked together to identify important conservation priorities, such as preserving trails and wildlife corridors around Chatfield Basin.

The network received a $6 million grant from Great Outdoors Colorado, and partners acquired the property that resulted in Hildebrand Park, created a trailhead at County Line Road between Broadway and Santa Fe, and created the Audubon Nature Center at Chatfield State Park.

Hoby cited the example of the creation of the Front Range Mountain Backdrop, an $80 million investment, as another successful regional effort.

The main purpose of conservation networks is to identify various lands that, in the opinion of the network members, need to be preserved for various reasons. The second part is to demonstrate the need to the general public.

“Jeffco Open Space’s guiding philosophy is we only deal with willing buyers and fair market values,” Hoby said.

“How much land is enough? It’s difficult to quantify. Some people think we have enough and others think there is never enough,” Hoby said.

“We need to say why that’s important, categorically, whatever those things might be. Conservation is an ongoing process. Not something we are going to be done with some day. We can slice and dice them however we want to. The ones we identify could be a starting point or expanded,” he said.

“We need to find out what’s on your radar screen and get those things on the map,” Hoby said.

After the introductions, participants broke up into groups to discuss their areas for 15 minutes per group.

These breakout groups viewed large tabletop maps and made notes on their goals such as creating trail connections from Meyer Ranch to Beaver Ranch, From Flying J Open Space Park to Evergreen and from Flying J to Conifer High.

Overall, there was a concern for protecting areas identified as especially valuable for biodiversity purposes by scientists from Colorado State University under the Colorado Natural Heritage study program that identifies the rarest and most threatened species and plant communities: Survey of Critical Biological Resources Jefferson County, Colorado.

The Ralston Creek Region has some efforts that are underway. The Rocky Mountain Greenway project builds on President Obama’s “America’s Great Outdoors Initiative’ intended to connect communities to the nature that surrounds them. This initiative includes connecting the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Associated with the Rocky Mountain Greenway is the desire to realize the full alignment of the Colorado Front Range Trail. Identification of opportunities to fill gaps in this important north-south trail alignment across Colorado is most important in this northern portion of Jefferson County, leading into Boulder County where there are many on-road and off-road cycling possibilities.

View sheds were discussed as critically important to preserve along both the Indiana and Highway 93 corridors. Protecting the Ralston creek watershed and water quality in the corridor were found to be important.

The Ralston Creek Region is rich in natural resources, including the Preble’s Jumping Mouse, raptors of all kinds, sensitive native prairie habitat, and open expanses which enable wildlife movement. Protecting areas of high biodiversity is paramount in this region.

Conversation on the Clear Creek region referred to preserving the view north from I-70 to Centennial Cone. Large parcels in the watershed such as the Goltra property east of Centennial Cone and north of Clear Creek Canyon Park need to be protected.

Maintaining momentum on the Peaks to Plains Trail project along Clear Creek was discussed along with protecting gaps along the corridor with emphasis on wildlife habitat and movement.

A shuttle from the Jeffco Courts & Administration building along the Lariat Loop was mentioned as a means of allowing more people to enjoy the parks and cultural resources in the area.

Suggested opportunities for preservation of lands in the Bear Creek Region include private lands west of Matthews/Winters Park, east of Red Rocks Park, and south of Lair o’ the Bear Park. Water quality was discussed by the articipants for this region along with forest health and wildfire mitigation. Also discussed was the expansion of Firewise practices on all properties within the region.

Additional trails to connect Evergreen with Morrison and Conifer were discussed.

Conservation partnerships were the focus of discussion about the Deer Creek Region. Because of the many areas of high biodiversity, there is need for a preservation effort that focuses on plant communities, watershed/source water protection, restoration, and recreation.

The major water corridors, including the South Platte, Buffalo Creek, and Deer Creek offer opportunities for large-scale restoration. Trail opportunities include along the South Platte and connecting Conifer with the parks in the Region.

At the end of the morning, JCOS planning director Amy Ito said the division staff was committed to choosing one of the four areas and organizing and leading a conservation network group for that area. It would be up to participants to organize other groups.

PLAN Jeffco’s Margot Zallen urged the JCOS staff to think about how many opportunities might be lost if the staff doesn’t think about the rest of the county at the same time.

Open Space is planning to start with a Network focusing on the Deer Creek Region. There are at least 56 partner agencies in this region and many efforts already are underway.

The staff report on the conservation Café is posted on the Open Space web site under Meetings. 

Hickenlooper calls for Bike Health campaign, trail system and new “recreational crown jewels”

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By Vicky Gits

Jan. 15: In the State of the State address, Gov. John Hickenlooper spoke at length on the economy and legislation and reserved a few paragraphs for his thoughts on cycling and preservation of open space.

Gov. John Hickenlooper“We have asked Ken Gart, our volunteer bike czar, to assist us in launching a Bike Health initiative that will take on a number of large challenges, such as create a publicly available data source to track existing bicycle trails, routes and cyclist feedback; seek funding for new construction for bicycle infrastructure; and create a plan to connect bike routes across communities and around the tallest mountains in Colorado,” Hickenlooper said.

He named Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, to build on the accomplishments of Great Outdoors Colorado and join federal and local open space partners to craft a statewide recreational trail system. One such network envisions linking the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, the South Platte River, Rocky Flats and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Hickenlooper called for “identifying a new generation of recreational crown jewels,” and increasing opportunities for people to “hunt, fish, hike and explore the extraordinary natural beauty that only Colorado can offer.”

MALT Strikes Again, Conserves 71 Acres near Bailey

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MALT 71-acre CE near Bailey, 2014-decMountain Area Land Trust (MALT) has closed on a Conservation Easement on a beautiful 71 acre property near Bailey.  The property has breathtaking mountain and river views and includes a half-mile of river frontage on the North Fork of the South Platte River.  This Conservation Easement will ensure that the property’s wildlife habitat and scenic vistas will be conserved forever.  Read about MALT’s latest CE successes at http://www.savetheland.org/latest-news

Stampeding Black Elephants

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Stampeding Black Elephants, Tom Friedman, NYT

Did you realize that PLAN Jeffco and Jefferson County Open Space are an integral part of a world wide effort to deal with massive environmental problems such as global warming, climate change, deforestation, mass extinction and water pollution? Well, we didn’t either until we read Tom Friedman’s op-ed piece in the New York Times Sunday Review Section on November 23, 2014 entitled “Stampeding Black Elephants”.

So what’s a Black Elephant? When Friedman was at the recent World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, he heard this term used for the first time. The Black Elephant is a cross between “…‘a black swan’ (an unlikely, unexpected event with enormous ramifications) and ‘the elephant in the room’ (a problem that is visible to everyone, yet no one still wants to address it).”

The Black Elephant in question is the plethora of environmental issues which are influencing each other — global warming, deforestation, ocean acidification, mass extinction and massive fresh water pollution. These tragedies strike and we claim they’re unpredictable black swans. In truth they’re the elephant which is already in the room.

The Congress brought together some 6,000 scientists and environmentalists from around the globe, all of whom were focused on the same goal: “guarding and expanding protected areas, which are the most powerful tools we have to restrain the environmental black elephants.”

Russ Mittermeier, one of the world’s leading primatologists, said to Friedman that “…protected forests, marine sanctuaries and national parks are not zoos, not just places to see nature. They are the basic life support systems that provide the clean air and water, food, fisheries, recreation, stable temperatures and natural coastal protections that sustain us humans…”

This article brings a global perspective to what we’re trying to do in Jefferson County, in preserving and conserving our open spaces. Friedman cites perspective after perspective, from countries across the world, and they all point to a common thread of thought…our open spaces and “parks are really the heart, lungs, and circulatory systems of the world — and they’re all endangered.” You can read the entire column in the New York Times online, at

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/opinion/sunday/thomas-l-friedman-stampeding-black-elephants.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fthomas-l-friedman&_r

(The New York Times is a subscription-based newspaper; a paid subscription may be required.)

Stampeding Black Elephants

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by Michelle Poolet

Stampeding Black ElephantsDid you realize that PLAN Jeffco and Jefferson County Open Space are an integral part of a world wide effort to deal with massive environmental problems such as global warming, climate change, deforestation, mass extinction and water pollution? Well, we didn’t either until we read Tom Friedman’s op-ed piece in the New York Times Sunday Review Section on November 23, 2014 entitled “Stampeding Black Elephants.”

So what’s a Black Elephant? When Friedman was at the recent World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, he heard this term used for the first time. The Black Elephant is a cross between “… ‘a black swan’ (an unlikely, unexpected event with enormous ramifications) and ‘the elephant in the room’ (a problem that is visible to everyone, yet no one still wants to address it).”

The Black Elephant in question is the plethora of environmental issues which are influencing each other — global warming, deforestation, ocean acidification, mass extinction and massive fresh water pollution. These tragedies strike and we claim they’re unpredictable black swans. In truth they’re the elephant which is already in the room.

The Congress brought together some 6,000 scientists and environmentalists from around the globe, all of whom were focused on the same goal: “guarding and expanding protected areas, which are the most powerful tools we have to restrain the environmental black elephants.”

Russ Mittermeier, one of the world’s leading primatologists, said to Friedman that “…protected forests, marine sanctuaries and national parks are not zoos, not just places to see nature. They are the basic life support systems that provide the clean air and water, food, fisheries, recreation, stable temperatures and natural coastal protections that sustain us humans …”

This article brings a global perspective to what we’re trying to do in Jefferson County, in preserving and conserving our open spaces. Friedman cites perspective after perspective, from countries across the world, and they all point to a common thread of thought…our open spaces and “parks are really the heart, lungs, and circulatory systems of the world — and they’re all endangered.” You can read the entire column in The New York Times online.

A Voice for this sorely damaged Refuge Earth, a letter by Mickey Harlow

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Rocky Flats PlantI have been a resident of the City of Arvada since 1970.  My current home is located downwind from the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.  I was the Rocky Flats Coordinator for the City of Westminster, Colorado from just after the FBI raid until 2001. I worked with both then Senator Allard’s and then Congressman Udall’s staffs on language designating the former nuclear production facility into a Refuge. I know the site very well and I know contamination has been left behind.

I recently became aware that the Fish & Wildlife requested an Air Permit in July 2014, for a prescribed burn to occur in April 2015, on 701 acres in the Southern Section of the Refuge.  The permit was granted by the Air Quality Control Commission. The permit was granted under the Arsenal name as the site is managed under the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.

I am very concerned about this prescribed burn.  The 701 acre burn area is contiguous to two new housing developments that have young families and small children. Plutonium, Americium and Uranium remain in the soils in that area. The cleanup of the Site meets regulatory standards for cleanup, but this does not mean that there is no radionuclide and other contamination left in the soil.   Fish & Wildlife manages over 600 Wildlife Refuges nationwide and prescribe burns are part of their maintenance plans.   However, Rocky Flats is the only national Wildlife Refuge with residual radionuclide contamination.  Airborne radionuclide contamination in smoke is a health hazard.

A recent report of soil sampling initiated within the Woman Creek Reservoir prior to 2014 repairs found small amounts of Plutonium, Americium, Uranium and other contaminants at levels below regulatory concern. The Woman Creek Reservoir was constructed in 1995 to physically separate Standley Lake, the drinking water source for the Cities of Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster from surface water leaving the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Production Facility Site.   These analysis results are important because they show that radionuclide’s are still in the soil at the Wildlife Refuge and can be brought to the surface, by earthworms, ants and other burrowing species located at the site.

Prescribed burns are not the answer!  An integrated plan with methods for controlling plant litter and weed management to include administrative, cultural techniques (prevention), mechanical controls, biological controls and chemical controls is necessary.   The Refuge has not received Interior Department funding for proper weed and site management.

Local government entities have the expertise in their open space management staff to provide invasive weed technical support to Fish & Wildlife Site Manager David Lucas.  It is time for us all to work together find alternatives to the burn. We must become “A Voice for this sorely damaged Refuge Earth.”

Mary (Mickey) Harlow

[Editor’s note: you can read more about Rocky Flats at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant]

 

PJ Board Meeting, 1/22/2015

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Save the date: PLAN Jeffco Board Meeting, January 22nd, 2015, 7PM – 9PM at Saint Anthony’s Hospital Auditorium C. All PLAN Jeffco Board meetings are open to the public; please RSVP to contactus@planjeffco.org if you plan to attend, in case there is a last-minute change of venue.

Fish & Wildlife Proposes 700 Acre Burn at Rocky Flats

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Rocky FlatsU.S. Fish & Wildlife is planning a “controlled burn” of 701 acres in the southern section of Rocky Flats. LeRoy Moore, PhD, a consultant with the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center and Boulder resident who has followed Rocky Flats for 35 years, has raised the alarm.

We first heard of this plan via Judy Dennison’s “Golden Newsletter”. Judy re-published a letter that Dr. Moore had written for the Boulder Camera, the full text of which can be found at http://www.dailycamera.com/Opinion/ci_26988064/LeRoy-Moore:-Rocky-Flats-burn-a-bad-idea

Rocky Flats, which is now a National Wildlife Refuge, is managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife. During the 40 years (1952-1989) when Rocky Flats housed a nuclear weapons plant, there were documented episodes of plutonium release, on-site and off-site. The subsequent Superfund Cleanup “stabilized” Rocky Flats by sequestering plutonium particles in the soil.

The concerns of Dr. Moore and his colleagues is that, when the soil is disturbed, as it will be by a burn of this magnitude, it will release the plutonium into the air. Aerosolized plutonium is the most dangerous form this radioactive contaminant can assume, since it’s easily inhaled by unknowing victims. And plutonium doesn’t destabilize and loose its radioactivity very quickly. From http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/plutonium.html:  “… the half–lives of plutonium isotopes tend to be relatively long: Pu-238 has a half–life of 87.7 years; Pu-239 has a half–life is 24,100 years, and Pu-240 has a half–life of 6,560 years. The decay process continues until a stable, non-radioactive element is formed.”

This week, both the Golden Transcript and the Westminster Window have picked up the news story and detailed it more completely. To read these articles, go to The Golden Transcript, http://goldentranscript.net/stories/Activists-speak-out-against-Flats-burn,175258 or The Westminster Window, http://westminsterwindow.com/stories/Activists-speak-out-against-Flats-burn,175258 . The articles quote Paula Elofsen-Gardin — a Rocky Flats activist and longtime researcher of Rocky Flats history, David Lucas — refuge manager for the Fish & Wildlife Service, Michelle Gabrioloff-Parish — resident of nearby Superior, CO, which is downwind of Rocky Flats, and Dr. Moore — former professor and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center.

Dr. Moore has created an online petition located at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/cancel-the-prescribed?source=c.em.mt&r_by=364519.  It requests that the Fish & Wildlife Service consider cancelling the prescribed burn (scheduled for sometime in April of 2015) because of the potential for plutonium release as a result of this burn.

Fish & Wildlife Proposes 700 Acre Burn at Rocky Flats

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by Michelle Poolet

U.S. Fish & Wildlife is planning a “controlled burn” of 701 acres in the southern section of Rocky Flats. LeRoy Moore, PhD, a consultant with the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center and Boulder resident who has followed Rocky Flats for 35 years, has raised the alarm.

We first heard of this plan via Judy Dennison’s “Golden Newsletter”. Judy re-published a letter that Dr. Moore had written for the Boulder Camera, the full text of which can be found here: Rocky Flats burn a bad idea.

Rocky Flats, which is now a National Wildlife Refuge, is managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife. During the 40 years (1952-1989) when Rocky Flats housed a nuclear weapons plant, there were documented episodes of plutonium release, on-site and off-site. The subsequent Superfund Cleanup “stabilized” Rocky Flats by sequestering plutonium particles in the soil.

The concerns of Dr. Moore and his colleagues is that, when the soil is disturbed, as it will be by a burn of this magnitude, it will release the plutonium into the air. Aerosolized plutonium is the most dangerous form this radioactive contaminant can assume, since it’s easily inhaled by unknowing victims. And plutonium doesn’t destabilize and loose its radioactivity very quickly. From the EPA website: “… the half-lives of plutonium isotopes tend to be relatively long: Pu-238 has a half-life of 87.7 years; Pu-239 has a half-life is 24,100 years, and Pu-240 has a half-life of 6,560 years. The decay process continues until a stable, non-radioactive element is formed.”

This week, both the Golden Transcript and the Westminster Window have picked up the news story and detailed it more completely. To read these articles, go to The Golden Transcript, or The Westminster Window. The articles quote Paula Elofsen-Gardin — a Rocky Flats activist and longtime researcher of Rocky Flats history, David Lucas — refuge manager for the Fish & Wildlife Service, Michelle Gabrioloff-Parish — resident of nearby Superior, CO, which is downwind of Rocky Flats, and Dr. Moore — former professor and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center.

Dr. Moore has created an online petition located at: Cancel the “prescribed burn” at Rocky Flats. It requests that the Fish & Wildlife Service consider cancelling the prescribed burn (scheduled for sometime in April of 2015) because of the potential for plutonium release as a result of this burn.

Apex Park Fully Reopens – All trails open to the public following flood recovery efforts

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by Tim Sandsmark, Lookout Region Supervisor, Jeffco Open Space

Apex Park fully reopened on Monday, Nov. 24 for the first time since the devastating floods of September 2013.

Apex Park Fully Reopens - All trails open to the public following flood recovery efforts Apex Park Fully Reopens - All trails open to the public following flood recovery efforts

Jeffco Open Space staff installed several bridges and abutments last week on lower Apex Trail, which was the only remaining area closed. To maximize efficiency and effectiveness, a helicopter was used to deliver the staff-built bridge decks to the park for final assembly and installation. Visitors can now access all 9.5 miles of trail at the popular 697-acre park.

With the full reopening, odd-day directional travel by mountain bikers will be reinstated on Apex, Argos and Enchanted Forest trails, as had been in effect prior to the flooding events.

The flood event severely damaged 3.8 miles – roughly 40 percent – of the trails at Apex Park, which was one of two Jeffco Open Space Parks closed in its entirety. Using a phased approach to recovery, staff and volunteers repaired washed-out segments of the Apex, Pick ‘N Sledge, Sluicebox, Enchanted Forest, Hardscrabble, Grubstake, Bonanza, Poco Calle and Argos trails.

Community support and staff dedication were vital to the recovery effort. Volunteers put in a total of 906 hours during 16 separate projects to reopen the Park for public enjoyment.

“We appreciate everybody’s patience and all the great support we’ve had from volunteers and trail users,” said Kim Frederick, Trail Services Supervisor for Jeffco Open Space. “We’re looking forward to completing flood recovery at other locations.”

Remaining repairs on the Mustang and Wrangler’s Run trails at White Ranch Park will continue during the winter as weather conditions allow. The projection to open those trails, as well as the Mesa Top Trail at North Table Mountain Park, is late spring or early summer 2015. Work is also ongoing on a formalized trailhead on the east side of Apex Park, which is slated to open in spring 2015.

Apex Park Fully Reopens Nov. 24 - All trails open to the public following flood recovery efforts

For a bird’s eye view of bridge installation, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gp0CAeMoxA

MORE INFO:

Apex Park