2020 Open Space Conservation Awards

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Jeffco Open Space hosts an annual volunteer and partner appreciation breakfast. Several PLAN Jeffco Board members were at the Lakewood Cultural Center to help celebrate this year’s recipients.

Aspen Rookie Volunteer Award – given to a first-year volunteer who epitomizes the enthusiasm of the Open Space Volunteer Program. This year’s recipient is Ian Francescato for his extraordinary work as a Trailhead Steward.

Rocky Mountain Juniper Stewardship Award – given to 6-year volunteer Tom Ging, who works with the Real Estate Group. He has developed a protocol for scanning and cataloguing real estate documents.

Douglas Fir Partnership Award – given to Mountainsmith, https://mountainsmith.com/ Mountainsmith has had an ongoing partnership with Open Space for many years. Formed in 1979, they manufacture and sell outdoor products and offer discounts on their product line for OS staff and volunteers. They participate in volunteer trail days and sponsor events that get people into the outdoors, as well as supporting the JCOS Adventure Club for foster children.

Blue Spruce Outdoor Connections Award – given to Great Outdoors Colorado for their quarter-century partnership with JCOS. They have awarded 176 grants, $47M, to conserve 6440 acres of land in Jefferson County alone.

Gambel Oak Pioneer Award – given to Denver Mountain Parks for their pioneering spirit and preservation efforts in the early 1900s that have influenced and helped guide Jefferson County Open Space.

John Litz Award – given to Jan Wilkins for her 15 years of service on the Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee and her other volunteer efforts in the realm of open space conservation. Jan chaired the committee that pushed for the Open Space bonds in 1997-98. Following passage of the bonds measure by 74% of the voters, Jan joined OSAC, served as Vice-Chair, and helped preserve nearly 20,000 acres of Open Space lands. She served on the committees for the Party for the Parks (2013) and 2014 OS Master Plan. Said John Litz, as he was presenting the award, “The main thing about Jan is that you could always count on her to be a solid performer and do everything that she possibly could to further the effort.”

Congratulations to all the recipients!

Jan Wilkins, when she accepted her award, said: “None of this (meaning the Open Space Program) would be possible if it weren’t for everyone else.” If you’d like to get more involved with Open Space, if you’re interested in learning more about the program, the annual Volunteer Fair will be held at the JCOS Headquarters, 700 Jefferson County Pkwy, Suite 100 Golden. You can check out all volunteer positions on Thursday, 2/20, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM and again on Saturday, 2/22, from 10 AM to 1:30 PM.

https://www.jeffco.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1070

You can view the award winners at https://bit.ly/2S982aS

Mountain Area Land Trust protects two mountain properties

/0 Comments/in , /by

Mountain Area Land Trust of Evergreen announced late last year, on December 12th, that it closed on “a 154-acre Conservation Easement on the Elk Meadow Ranch at Mt. Evans!  The property is located within the historic Evans Ranch in MALT’s Upper Bear Creek Priority Area.  Vance Creek runs through a majority of this scenic property providing for excellent wildlife habitat and a healthy forest ecosystem.  Appropriately named, the Elk Meadow Ranch is home to a large herd of elk as well as black bears, mountain lions, deer and a multitude of other wildlife.  Elk Meadow Ranch is adjacent to protected lands including the Mount Evans State Wildlife Area and a number of private voluntary land agreements.”

Separately on December 18th, the land trust announced closing on “a 52-acre Conservation Easement on the slopes of Conifer Mountain.  Known as The Sanctuary on Conifer Mountain, this voluntary land agreement will protect valuable open space and wildlife habitat in perpetuity.  In addition to forested land and rock outcroppings, a seasonal creek and wetland provide for a wide range of habitats on this now-protected property.  The Sanctuary on Conifer Mountain is highly visible from Highway 285 and its protection will preserve the scenic views on this highly-traveled corridor.  Kathy Estes and Rod Morgan are longtime supporters of MALT and are ecstatic to have left a conservation legacy with the donation of this easement!”

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 more information see SaveTheLand.org.

Land conservation and the ability to recreate in the great outdoors is important to Coloradans. We applaud the efforts of all our partner organizations.

Jeffco to Host Brainstorming Session on Possible Reductions at Fairgrounds (updated)

/0 Comments/in , /by

Jeffco Fairgrounds - roping & riding

It takes money to operate County services, and the Jeffco Fairgrounds is indeed a County service. Unfortunately, during last year’s voting season, the residents of Jefferson County failed to approve Ballot Initiative 1A, and now the County is strapped for cash. As a result, most County services have had their budgets reduced, and the Fairgrounds is on the chopping block.

Jeffco County is holding a meeting tonight, Tuesday January 28th, at the Fairgrounds, from 6-7:30PM, to identify and consider potential options to preserve those types of activities at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. The meeting is open to the public for interested parties to attend and listen. PLAN Jeffco got 36-hour notice of the meeting so if you haven’t heard about this, you’re not alone.

If you or your group have an interest in the continued operation of the Jeffco Fairgrounds, please plan to attend. PLAN Jeffco will try to monitor the situation and keep informed.

For more about the county’s budget situation, please visit the Jefferson County website at www.jeffco.us and click on the link for the Financial Realities page.

Update 1/31/2020: the Jeffco Fairgrounds Brainstorming Session (1/28/2020), less the first 10 minutes of the meeting, can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2OjlmIF, Don Davis, County Manager and Tom Hoby, Director Open Space, moderating. The 2-hour meeting was very well-attended, with lots of input from all stakeholder groups. The end result — four options, which will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners at their weekly morning (8AM) meeting on 2/4/2020. Both Don Davis and Tom Hoby will be presenting to the BCC.

Option 1: maintain status quo (most likely not possible, given the County’s budget situation)

Option 2: more budget cuts (would mean reducing staff and services)

Option 3: close the Fairgrounds (no one wants this)

Option 4: explore a partnership with Open Space (how to do this without violating the Enabling Resolution?)

Follow the BCC meeting at https://bit.ly/2OiMV4Z. Click Video to listen to the meeting and view agenda documents, or Agenda or Minutes to see just the documents.

Great Blue Heron at Crown Hill OS Park

Reminder: Seasonal Wildlife Closures at OS Parks Begins Feb 1

/0 Comments/in , , , /by
Great Blue Heron at Crown Hill OS Park, In Plein Sight 2016

Great Blue Heron at Crown Hill OS Park, In Plein Sight 2016

We all love our Jeffco Open Space parks, but we can’t forget that these places are home for any number of wild critters. And, during certain times of the year, parts of the parks have to be off-limits to humans, so that these furred, feathered and finned colleagues can carry on with their life activities.

Jeffco OS posted a full listing of upcoming closures for 2020 at https://www.jeffco.us/civicalerts.aspx?AID=395. But, as a reminder:

Centennial Cone Park  
Elk Range Trail at Centennial Cone Park, including the interior of the park, is closed from February 1 through mid-June to protect elk during their calving season.

Clear Creek Canyon Park 
Portions of Clear Creek Canyon Park near Mile Marker 270 are closed to all public use uphill of US Highway 6 from February 1 through July 31 to protect raptor nesting territory. This closure includes the following rock climbing sites: Bumbling Stock, Stumbling Block, Skinny Legs, Blonde Formation, and Ghost Crag. The Fault Caves are also included in this closure.

Portions of Clear Creek Canyon Park, near Tunnel 2, are closed to all public use uphill of US Highway 6 from February 1 through July 31 to protect raptor nesting territory. This closure includes the following rock climbing sites: Highlander, Evil Area, and Tetanus Garden.

Deer Creek Canyon Park/Hildebrand Ranch Park
The entirety of Black Bear Trail, which connects Deer Creek Canyon Park and Hildebrand Ranch Park, is closed from February 1 through July 31 to protect raptor nesting territory.

North Table Mountain Park
Rim Rock Trail at North Table Mountain Park is closed from February 1 through July 31 to protect raptor nesting territory and ground-nesting bird habitat.

South Table Mountain Park
Lava Loop Trail at South Table Mountain Park is closed from February 1 through July 31 to protect raptor nesting territory and ground-nesting bird habitat.

Cathedral Spires Park
The entirety of Cathedral Spires Park is closed from March 1 through July 31 to protect raptor nesting territory.

Crown Hill Park
The Crown Hill Park Wildlife Sanctuary is closed from March 1 through June 30 to protect nesting and brooding waterfowl.

For more information on these closures and restrictions, plus what a violation might cost you in fines, etc, go to the Jeffco Civic Alerts page.

Bottom line, if your favorite trail/hike/area will be closed after 1 February, hike/bike/visit it NOW. Then kick back and chill until it’s open again.

Happy hiking/biking/riding!!!