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Take Photos, Leave Only Footprints

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Photo credit: Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Miss Mountain Manners has a question for you: have you ever heard of a “cursed rock”? One person who was gifted with a “keepsake rock” from Colorado believes that the rock is cursed. Last July, Colorado Parks and Wildlife received a handwritten letter claiming that a stolen Colorado rock, brought back as a souvenir three years ago, has been responsible for “bad things happening ever since.” The rock was included with the letter.

Whether or not you believe the legend that if you remove rocks from their natural outdoor location  you’ll bring bad luck to yourself, it’s a good idea to leave no trace when you’re in the Great Outdoors, and that includes leaving rocks where you found them. You’ll find breath-takingly beautiful rock formations in our Clear Creek Open Space Park, and thankfully, most of the rocks are far too large (and heavy) to end up in anyone’s collection. But even when you find small rocks, look at them, study them, take pleasure in their beauty, and then leave them behind for others to enjoy.

As Colorado Parks & Wildlife tweets, ““The best practice when visiting any park or wilderness is to take only photographs and leave only footprints”. Miss Mountain Manners agrees!

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/souvenir-taken-from-colorado-said-to-be-cursed/article_b98b8d3a-cb90-11ea-ad17-e3ab88678693.html

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco

 

PLAN Jeffco December 2020 Newsletter is online

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The December 2020 PLAN Jeffco newsletter is available online. Jump over to our Library and see what’s new, or download from the embedded reader below.

1 Dec 2020 1-12 final

 

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco

Follow us on Twitter: @MannersMountain and @PLANJeffco

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PLANjeffco

 

Comment on How to be a horse-friendly biker by Alan Goodman

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It’s so much nicer for all of us when we share the road… 🙂
I always have to be careful on the recumbents but it’s fine.
Here’s another example. https://youtu.be/gSya4lOfKns

Peaks to Plains Trail Gateway Takes Shape

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Can you recognize where you are? Look through the framing, do you recognize Castle Rock on South Table Open Space Park?

Construction on the Peaks to Plains Trail continues. This location is called the “Gateway Segment”, it’s just west of Golden. Eventually, you will be able to walk from the Library, the History Museum, or even the Golden Visitors Center, head west along the Clear Creek Trail, cross highway 93, and you’ll be on this portion of the Peaks to Plains Trail, inside the Clear Creek Canyon Open Space Park. The portions that are already open are stunning; we anticipate that this segment will be no less so.

Take 5 minutes and enjoy Scott Grossman as he describes the construction that’s happening at the Gateway Segment.

Miss Mountain Manners reminds you to stay safe during this time of COVID, and even when you’re in the Open Space Parks remember to wear your mask and stay 6 feet away from those who are not in your personal “bubble”. Follow Miss Mountain Manners at @MannersMountain

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco

Share the Trail COVID Campaign Off To A Good Start

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Last year, Jeffco Open Space Parks received approximately 7 million visitors. This year, with the pandemic, we have seen a drastic increase in people finding much-needed stress relief while enjoying our parks. For several years, Rangers and Volunteers have collaborated to host dozens of Share the Trails pop-up events. What’s a pop-up you ask? A pop-up is a focused low-key event where volunteers and staff talk with visitors at the trailheads regarding various pertinent park issues. For example, if a park has an increase in dogs off leash, rangers and volunteers will staff a Love Em’ Leash Em’ table and talk to visitors about dog safety messages (i.e. leashing, picking up waste, providing for dog safety in hot weather, etc). Over the years, pop-ups topics have covered living with wildlife (rattlesnakes, bears, lions, coyotes, etc), share the trails, dog safety and education regarding park management changes. The goal is to educate visitors BEFORE they enter the park and BEFORE they make a mistake. Feedback from visitors has been extremely positive. They seem to really appreciate the one-on-one contact with representatives of Jeffco Open Space.

 

As I write this article in mid-November, rangers have already responded to more than 1000 calls for service. Some of these calls have been responding to visitor courtesy complaints on North Table Mountain. While rangers routinely patrol the park, a few of our volunteer equestrian Park Patrollers recognized our stretched staff resources and approached me to request they would like to help out by hosting several Share the Trails events at North Table Mountain. These pop-ups generated 550 conversations with our park visitors. Volunteer Frank Blaha, said “often all of us were fully engaged” in conversations with several visitors. He goes on to say, “many people seemed appreciative of us being out, and a few commented it is good to know Rangers and Volunteer Patrollers were working to keep Jeffco Open Space in good shape.” Special thanks go out to Volunteer Patrollers who were instrumental in moving this series of pop-ups along: Dan B., Frank B., Jack M., Jan K., Lydia M. and Sylvan R. Thanks also go out to the many volunteers who dropped by and who spent over 725 hours in 2020 routinely patrolling North Table Mountain Park. I am privileged to work with such an amazing group of volunteers. Jeffco Open Space truly appreciates all they do to support the Jeffco Open Space mission in caring for our parks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shaun Howard, Ranger Lead
Jeffco Open Space
303-271-5909

Miss Mountain Manners extends great thanks to Shaun Howard, JCOS Ranger, for sharing the story about these pop-up events. Communication, cooperation…if everyone tried a little harder, imagine what a great world this could be!

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco

 

 

Open Space Update 11/22/2020

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Let’s see what’s happening during the month of November at Jeffco Open Space:

 

Clear Creek Canyon Park – Stair Construction

Timber stair and retaining wall construction continues on the east side of the wooden flume leading up from the P2P Trail.  This is going to be an amazing trail experience for our visitors.

 

 

 

Matthews/Winters Park – Fire

At approximately 5:50 a.m. on Monday, November 9th, Jeffco Sheriff’s Office reported Golden Fire was on scene for a small fire in the area of Dakota Ridge Trail north of the intersection with Zorro Trail.  It appears the fire was wind and utility structure related as the top of one of the transmission poles was snapped.  For visitor safety reasons, the trail was closed north of Zorro Trail through the day and night to allow Xcel Energy access to the area for repairs.  The trail re-opened on Tuesday the 10th at noon.

 

 

COVID-19 – Jefferson County Dial Status, Moves to Level Red

Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) has been notified by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) that Jefferson County is among the counties that will be moved to Level Red on the state’s Dial Framework, effective Friday, November 20th at 5:00PM.  As Governor Polis announced, the state has made some adjustments to the Dial and Level Red, especially as it relates to gatherings and spaces where people congregate. We are awaiting final details on those changes, as well as an associated public health order, and will share more information when available.

Major changes include:

o   The Dial adds a sixth level, Purple, and revises Level Red accordingly.

o   Individuals at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 remain advised to stay in their residence at all levels of the Dial.

o   Remote working is strongly encouraged.

What is not changing:

o   Our parks and restrooms will remain open.

o   Our group size will remain at 10 and we will continue to monitor JCPH for the current information.

 

Camping Relaunch – Reservations Live in CivicRec

After a hiatus due to COVID-19, we are excited to bring back camping to our visitors.  A diverse team of staff came together to figure out how to best provide camping again.  In conjunction with only allowing 4 campers per site, the team decided that providing parking hang tags on site in a lock box was the best option over having visitors trying to print and bring them to their site (as too often they forget).  Thank you to Parks Services, OSIT, Rangers, Community Connections and others for your hard work and contributions to the re-launching of camping permits.  The first reservable date for White Ranch (Sawmill) and Reynolds Park campsites is November 27, 2020.

 

Mount Falcon Morrison Trailhead – Temporary Parking Expansion

Things are wrapping up at Mount Falcon Morrison Trailhead this week and we are planning on opening the new, temporary lot to the public this Friday, November 13. We will have 56 more spots to offer visitors and the entry road will no longer allow parking on either side.  Big thanks to Road and Bridge, T&E, Scott Timmons and Park Services for making this a reality!

 

South Table Mountain Park – Carl’s Point

Carl's Point on South Table MountainWho is Carl of Carl’s Point? If you’ve visited the scenic overlook on the east side of Basalt Cap Loop, you may already know.  The trail sign includes a QR code that transports you to Carl’s story.  In short, Carl F. Eiberger helped preserve South Table Mountain (STM) and at least 11 other parks in the Golden/Applewood/Prospect area by donating expert legal services.  The point of Carl’s Point is to encourage our visitors to pause and think about what they can do to help preserve places and experiences like Basalt Cap Loop on STM.  Mary Eiberger, daughter of Carl Eiberger, visited the site for the first time on Saturday, November 7th.  She was accompanied by her husband Tito and their two rescue dogs, Lucky and Shadow.

 

 

 

 

South Table Mountain Park – Trail ConstructionTrail Building on South Table Mountain

Trail construction on Croc Tooth Trail is in the final stages and will be complete before the end of November.  This trail will help connect Carl’s Point to Ancient Palms Trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hildebrand Ranch Park – Water Monitor

water monitor at Hidebrand Ranch

 

 

New water monitoring devices, called stilling wells, are being installed to keep us in compliance with State of Colorado Water Commission requirements.  These new monitoring units will more accurately record water flow and use.

 

 

 

 

Miss Mountain Manners thanks all the staff and volunteers at JeffCo Open Space for the wonderful work that they do and are continuing to do during this time of COVID.  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco

 

MISS MOUNTAIN MANNERS CHALLENGES YOU

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It ain’t over til it’s over. And it is definitely not over yet. Jefferson County has seen increased COVID-19 cases and is at risk of tighter restrictions.  Jefferson County Public Health is calling on residents to stay strong and focused on preventing the spread of this virus. With rising infection rates, clearly many people are not following the rules. Will you??

Miss Manners, remembering earlier times and common fence-post signs for “Burma Shave,” invites you to play the following game and even create your own sign jingles. Match the sign posts with the proper guideline for your Jefferson County Open Space experiences.

1. Meet someone?

Don’t frown

Slow down

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 a. COVID-19 primarily spreads person to person to person. Because you can become infected from respiratory droplets when a nearby infected person breathes heavily, coughs, sneezes or talks, maintain a minimum six-foot distance. This will also help prevent them from being infected by you.
2. Be first rate

Communicate

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 b. Keep one ear-bud out. Enjoy the sounds of nature and let others do the same.
3. Be a knight

Keep right

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 c. As you approach other trail users (particularly from behind), announce your presence in a timely manner, and loud enough for them to hear. Give them time to find a safe place where they can be socially distanced from you.
4. Be safe

For instance

Keep your distance

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 d. The leash is safer for your dog, the environment, and other park visitors who may be afraid of dogs. Your dog is YOUR friend, but not necessarily another park visitor’s friend and certainly not park wildlife’s friend.
5. You don’t know

What you’re missin’

Unless you listen

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 e. Cyclists: Pedestrians and equestrians have the right-of-way. Slow down and stop if necessary.
6. Place no bets

Leash your pets

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 f. Respect public lands and waters. Take ALL of your garbage – including pet wastes – with you. Remember: There is no POOP fairy.
7. Preserve this place

Leave no trace

Take it to the base

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 g. The rules of the road apply. Keep to your right.
8. Heed the call

Keep your group small

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 h. Common courtesy will make things more pleasant for all those participating.
9. It’s your task

Wear a mask

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 i. You will have less impact on the parks and other users. It will be easier to maintain social distancing guidelines. Do not take up the whole width of the trail; allow others to pass safely with a minimum of 6-foot distancing.
10. Treat other trail users with respect

No matter how they are decked

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 j. This will lessen the impact on the environment with less driving.
11. Don’t pull the rug

Walk through the mud

Over hill and dale

Stay on the trail

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 k. Going off trail to shortcut a switchback or to avoid mud, widens the trail and is bad for trail sustainability.
12. Horses first

And then the hikers

Yielding to all should be the bikers

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

 l. Be prepared to cover your nose and mouth when meeting others. Social distancing is required, particularly when passing other visitors on the trail who are not being considerate by wearing a face covering.
13. Follow your nose

Stay close to home

MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER

WE ARE EMPHATIC – – IT’S A PANDEMIC

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco

Open Space Update 11/06/2020

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Clear Creek Canyon Park – Gateway Segment

Clear Creek Canyon Park gateway segment.

 

The south side trail in Clear Creek Park is starting to take shape!  We’ve been able to take advantage of the warm weather and pour approximately 1,600 linear feet of the trail.  This section connects into the new bridge, has great curves to it and will award visitors with fantastic views.

 

 

 

 

Mount Falcon – Morrison Trailhead Expansion

 

The temporary expansion lot at Mount Falcon East is coming along nicely.  Road & Bridge was moving dirt at the end of October and is at finished grade.  Construction is progressing on the expanded parking area.  The asphalt millings, drainage features, and revegetation will be completed by the end of this week.  Parking lot striping is scheduled for Sunday and the new lot is scheuled to open to the public early next week.  Visitors have already been showing excitement for this temporary parking expansion and we are working hard to get it open next week.  Thanks to everyone who had a part in this great achievement!

 

 

 

Clear Creek Canyon Park – Restroom Construction

 

Construction on the two restrooms continues to make great progress.  The electrical in Tunnel 1 restroom is being installed while the Gateway restroom roof rafters and sheathing is going up.

 

 

 

 

Comment on The Lubahn Trail on STM, Ignored But Not Forgotten (updated) by Andrew Terrill

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PlanJeffco,

I am responding to the article above, and in particular to the untrue statement made by Colorado Lifestyle that: ‘No one ever hikes the Lubahn Trail by itself’, and also to the thinly-veiled suggestion made that with the Olivine Trail now open the Lubahn Trail is obsolete.

Firstly: yes, a great many visitors use the Lubahn Trail to reach Castle Rock. But, not all visitors go beyond it. Personally, I have been hiking the Lubahn Trail for nearly 20 years, and have frequently hiked it just to the bench and back, especially with my kids when they were small, as well as with elderly relatives. I have seen many other visitors do the same. There are plenty of easy solutions available that would limit visitors trespassing beyond the trail.

Secondly, not everyone considers the Olivine Trail beautiful. Indeed, in comparison with the more varied and more natural-feeling Lubahn Trail the Olivine Trail is unpleasant, ugly, and unimaginative. The Olivine Trail is open to the sun, lacks variation, and is an ugly scar on the hillside when seen from afar. Its repetitious switchbacks make it far less enjoyable to walk than the Lubahn Trail.

With the Olivine Trail in place, the Lubahn Trail is needed more than ever. The multi-user status of the Olivine Trail means that user conflicts are far more likely, which greatly reduces pleasure for some visitors on foot, especially families with small children. While it is wonderful that horses and bikes can now access South Table Mountain directly from Golden this absolutely does NOT mean that the Lubahn Trail has become un-necessary. The Lubahn Trail, as a hiker only trail, gives visitors on foot a rare opportunity for a short and safe walk in nature where they are free from having to consider potential trail conflicts.

The Lubahn Trail has been neglected and mistreated for several years. But attempts to close it are misguided, and there are practical solutions available to making it sustainable that solve all the issues faced. This City of Golden-managed trail is part of what makes Golden special. The benefits that come from accessing nature are well known and many, with health being prominent among them. Organizations such as yours should be doing all you can to keep access to nature open, and to maximize what is available, not close it off and limit it.

Open Space Update 10/18/2020

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Miss Mountain Manners here…wonder what’s been going on at Jeffco Open Space? Here ya’ go, the latest and greatest, from our Director, Tom Hoby:

Deer Creek Canyon Park – Mountain Lion Incident

Mountain lion, photo courtesy of all-free-download.com

Mountain lion, photo courtesy of all-free-download.com

On Friday, October 9th, about 5 p.m., an adult female mountain biker encountered an adult mountain lion on the Red Mesa Loop Trail.  The lion emerged from the vegetation and was traveling “about 2 feet away” from her on her right.  She immediately dismounted and put her bike between her and the lion.  As she shouted and used the bike to clear a safe zone between her and the lion, she made one 11-mintue call to her boyfriend, who coached her to remain strong and continue to fight back while attempting to back away.  After that call dropped, she called 911 and a JeffCom dispatcher coached her through an additional 22 minutes of vigilantly keeping the lion away from her while she attempted to back away.  The lion would disappear into the shrubland cover and then reappear on the trail.  It would also lie on the trail, sphinx-style and make deep, loud purring sounds.  At one point, the lion made contact with her bike tire with its nose, but never made physical contact with her.  The incident ended when two additional riders arrived on scene, apparently startling the lion out of the area.  CPW and JCOS interviewed the reporting party and one thing she indicated was that she “had seen and read the mountain lion signs” and knew mountain lions were in the area and what to do if she sees one.

JCOS closed the Park while CPW officers conducted an investigation.  The Park re-opened on Tuesday with enhanced safety signage, enhanced safety messaging on social media and a schedule of ranger and volunteer-staffed mountain lion safety and awareness education pop ups for the trailhead.

Clear Creek Canyon Park – BCC/Advisory Committee Tour

As part of their yearly meeting the Board of County Commissioners and the Open Space Advisory Committee toured Clear Creek Canyon Park to check out progress on the Gateway Segment.  It was great to showcase all the progress we have made on the project thus far!   Check out Commissioner Dahlkemper’s Twitter feed for pictures of the tour.

https://twitter.com/LDahlkemper/status/1311813207590232065

Mount Falcon – Morrison Trailhead

Road and Bridge broke ground at the Mount Falcon – Morrison Trailhead last week and they are currently grading the site for the temporary expansion lot.  There will be no parking along the stretch of Vine Street that is on our property, or between the neighborhood and the existing parking area, for the duration of the project AND moving forward.  The completion of construction is scheduled for the end of October/early November.  Big thanks to Park Services, Road and Bridge and Transportation and Engineering for coordinating another inter-divisional project.

Cathedral Spires Park - climbing access trail

Cathedral Spires Park – climbing access trail

Cathedral Spires Park- Climbing Access Trail Constructed

Front Range Climbing Stewards (FRCS) completed contract work for 2020!  Stone steps and plenty of rock work help formalize a climbing access trail.  The JCOS Trails Team also performed tread work and stone walls on switchbacks to clean up the access trail and make it more sustainable.

Lot Spot: Additional Parks

Over the last 1.5 years or so, many visitors and staff have enjoyed using the Lot Spot application to see how many parking spaces are available at specific parks. This application is a great tool for our visitors to help plan their visit before they leave home.

We currently have 7 parks that have Lot Spot cameras installed.  Open Space will be adding the following 10 parks to Lot Spot:

    • Pine Valley Ranch
    • Deer Creek Canyon Park
    • Crown Hill Park
    • Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve
    • Matthews/Winters Park
    • Elk Meadow Park
    • South Valley Park
    • Meyer Ranch (South Parking Lot)
    • Flying J Ranch
    • Apex Park

Stay tuned for more information to come on when the installation will begin on the ground!

Miss Mountain Manners again — I hope you’re following Park regulations for safety and distancing while you’re enjoying the Open Space experience. As always, fellow visitors, stay well, stay safe.

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco