Leaving Only Footsteps? Think Again!

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Footprints in the Forest

So you think you’re only leaving footsteps when you’re out in the wild? Think again after reading this opinion article in the February 13, 2015 New York Times by Christopher Solomon. Solomon discusses and quotes much of the data that Dr. Sarah Reed presented at PLAN Jeffco’s November 2013 conference. The title of Drs. Reed and Sarah Thomas’ presentation at our conference was “Balancing Recreational Access and Conservation Objectives in Open Space Programs” (you can purchase the proceedings of the conference now).  The focus of their presentation was Outdoor recreation may enhance human health, but what about the impact on animals?

Solomon’s article discusses the loss or movement of wildlife away from areas of different forms of recreation in the outdoors. Surprisingly the studies show that motorized vehicles cause less disruption because their noise alerts the animals and they don’t stay around for very long. Read the entire article at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/opinion/sunday/leaving-only-footsteps-think-again.html?_r=0

Elk in the winterThanks for your interest in Open Space, and thanks for reading our blog. To become a PLAN Jeffco member and become more involved with our open spaces, click here.

Rocky Flats Burn Delayed

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Rocky FlatsThe public outcry raised by the proposed burn at Rocky Flats has given the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service pause; the burn has been delayed. “We have heard concerns from the public and we want to take time to engage in further dialogue on these issues,” Noreen Walsh, regional director of the agency, said in a prepared statement.

Read the entire article at http://www.denverpost.com/News/ci_27475898/US-Fish-and-Wildlife-Service-bows-delays-Rocky-Flats-burn.

 

JCOS Working with Arvada to Develop Public Shooting Range

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Arvada dog park

View of the Arvada off-leash dog park, between Leyden Road and West 64th Avenue, near where the proposed public shooting range may be developed.

Jeffco Open Space is working with the city of Arvada in hopes of creating a county shooting range on property owned by the municipality. The Arvada site was designated as the most acceptable location for an outdoor facility, after months of study by a working group, which included Jeffco Open Space.

To read the entire story, go to http://www.canyoncourier.com/content/jeffco-open-space-working-arvada-develop-public-shooting-range

Wrangler’s Run at White Ranch Park Reopens

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TRAIL CLOSD WHR map 8_5x11 0215 B

White Ranch Park. Wrangler’s Run Trail reopens, but the Mustang Trail (in red) remains closed until July 2015.

News release from Thea Rock, JCOS Communications Manager,    trock@jeffco.us or 303-271-5902

Wrangler’s Run at White Ranch Park will reopen to recreation by the end of the day on
Tuesday, February 10. The 0.5-mile trail was heavily damaged in the September 2013 floods
and is reopening thanks in part to support from Jeffco Open Space Trails Volunteers. About 400
feet of the trail has been rerouted to better withstand future storms.

Volunteers at White Ranch Park

Volunteers work on the trails at White Ranch Park.

Mustang Trail remains closed. This 2.2-mile trail will be rerouted and open to the public by July 2015.

Throughout flood recovery, Jeffco Open Space has benefited from funds from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) and Great Outdoors Colorado.

Jeffco Open Space asked to buy Journey Ranch by Conifer Area Council

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A giant chair built on the Journey Ranch property by members of the Journey Church, circa 2013. The Journey Church has since left the Conifer area.

A giant chair built on the Journey Ranch property by members of the Journey Church, circa 2013. The Journey Church has since left the Conifer area.

 

 From the Canyon Courier, Feb 10th 2015

    by Gabrielle Porter

 “The Conifer Area Council has asked Jeffco Open Space to consider buying the 45-acre ranch owned by the now-defunct Journey Community Church to complete CAC’s goal of connecting Conifer’s trails…”

Read the entire article at

http://www.canyoncourier.com/content/conifer-area-council-asks-jeffco-open-space-buy-journey-ranch

Climbing Closure in Clear Creek Canyon Park for Raptor Resource Protection

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EagleBeginning February 15, 2015, Jeffco Open Space will implement a climbing closure in Clear Creek Canyon Park. Four crags and 12 routes used for climbing in Clear Creek Canyon Park will be closed for the protection of nesting golden eagles. This seasonal closure through July 31, 2015 will ensure compliance with the Federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

To minimize disturbance to golden eagles, the following areas will be closed: Stumbling Block, Bumbling Stock, and Skinny Legs/Blonde Formation. These crags are all within one-quarter mile and within sight of a nesting area that has a bolted climbing route directly below it. These areas are located west of tunnel one in Clear Creek Canyon.

Jeffco Open Space raptor monitoring volunteers, natural resources staff and park rangers will monitor this site and enforce the closure. If the pair of eagles does not show signs of nesting in the identified areas by May 15, 2015, the seasonal closure will be lifted so that climbing can take place in this area.

Violations of this closure may result in a fine of $100,000, imprisonment, or both. For more information on The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668c), enacted in 1940 visit: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/midwestbird/eaglepermits/bagepa.html

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. We are funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax that has preserved over 53,617 acres and created 28 regional parks and 230 miles of trails in Jefferson County.

For questions or additional information contact Thea Rock, trock@jeffco.us or 303‐271‐5902

 

 

 

 

 

Land Trust Protects Two Mountain Properties

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MALT scenic view

…by Vicky Gits

Mountain Area Land Trust of Evergreen announced Jan. 6 it had closed a conservation easement on an 80-acre property near Divide in Teller County.  Conserving this private property connects the surrounding Pike National Forest to maintain a valuable wildlife corridor.  The property features a large pond, several springs, and wooded hillsides, making excellent wildlife habitat.  Moose, elk, mountain lions and eagles have been spotted on the property.  There are also remnants of an 1850’s homestead that will be protected by the easement.

Separately on Dec. 30, the land trust announced closing on a conservation easement on a beautiful 71-acre property near Bailey.  The land has breathtaking mountain and river views and includes a half-mile of river frontage on the North Fork of the South Platte River.  This easement ensures the habitat and scenic vistas will be conserved forever.

In the early 1900s, a Denver bicycle club owned the land and held bike races in the meadow near the river.  In the mid-1900s, the property was used as a church summer camp.  The current owners have owned the property since 1994.  MALT has been working with these owners for several years.

Founded in 1992, MALT is a nonprofit organization that primarily helps facilitate the conservation-easement process for private landowners. Since inception it has protected nearly 15,000 acres in Park, Jefferson and Teller counties.

For information see www.savetheland.org

Jeffco Open Space Volunteer Recruitment Fair

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From observing wildlife and assisting visitors to bringing history to life, volunteers find many ways to contribute to Jeffco Open Space. Learn about all the opportunities by dropping in at a Volunteer Recruitment Fair on Thursday, February 12 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jeffco Open Space Administration Building, 700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 100, Golden, CO 80401. For more info, visit http://jeffco.us/open-space/volunteer/job-descriptions/.

Many Thanks,

Will Lebzelter
Communications Associate
Jeffco Open Space
303.271.5961

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.”

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.)