PLAN Jeffco started with an idea that open spaces are vitally important to the health and welfare of all, and since 1972 has been building on that idea. Time brings change, and so PLAN Jeffco has had to consistently adjust as change occurs.
PLAN Jeffco tries to keep its thumb on the pulse of the conservation community. Every month, as part of our regular Board meetings, there’s a “President’s Report”, which records the activities of various conservation groups that PLAN Jeffco feels are community leaders. We’ve decided to share as much of this information with you, dear reader, as we can, so that you can understand where we’re going, and why.
Aspen Grove in Autumn, photo courtesy of Peter Morales, PLAN Jeffco Co-President
Conservation Smart Brief, September 23, 2021:
Recently posted to our website:
https://planjeffco.org/2021/09/07/sylvia-brockner-1919-2021-in-memoriam/
https://planjeffco.org/2021/08/31/open-space-update-aug-2021/
https://planjeffco.org/2021/08/31/conservation-smart-brief-8-26-2021-2/
Jeffco Open Space News & Events
Sept 25th (Saturday), National Public Lands Day Volunteer Project Spend the day giving back to your public lands by volunteering with Jeffco Open Space and The City of Wheat Ridge to clean up Clear Creek and Peaks to Plains Trails. Join us along Clear Creek Trail near the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt to help with trash cleanup, vegetation trimming, noxious weed removal, planting and seeding, beaver tree painting, gold panning mitigation, and graffiti removal in the Golden Cliffs climbing area. End the day with a celebration at Anderson Park, FREE FOOD & FUN!
Sept 25th (Saturday), Fall Colors Enjoy a late afternoon walk with a Native Plant Master along easy trails. Discover the importance of our native plants to wildlife and humans while strolling through fall colors. Geared for ages 13+.
Oct 7th (Thursday) Open Space Advisory Committee Meeting
Parks & Trails Current Alerts – Know before you go!
Jeffco Fairgrounds
https://www.jeffco.us/calendar.aspx?CID=27
COVID-19 Testing September 22-25, and 27-30, 7AM – 5PM @ Campground More Details
JCPH Vaccine Clinic September 22, 23, 29, 30, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM @ Parking Lot – Rodeo Arena More Details
Safety in Faith Summit September 23, 2021, 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM @ Exhibit Halls 1, 2, 3, North & South Kitchen, More Details
Transportation & Construction GIRL Day September 28, 2021, 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM @ Exhibit Halls and Parking Lots
Posted September 14th on FB: These moose [mom and twins] were spotted this weekend at Kenosha Pass! As you embark on your leaf-peeping trips this autumn, keep in mind that much of the expansive view into the valley floor from the top of Kenosha Pass is preserved forever with land conservation work by COL! https://fb.watch/8ble2uvLFF/
Posted September 13th on FB: TL Bar Ranch conserved in perpetuity. The 9,111-acre TL Bar Ranch property is located in San Miguel County, about 18 miles northwest of Telluride and 8 miles south of Norwood. This productive agricultural ranch includes sagebrush rangelands, irrigated meadows, aspen and pine forests, and also includes over four miles of local creek frontage. The scenic values are phenomenal, heightened by the abutting U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands and conserved private property. … Homesteaded as early as 1894, the ranch has been a productive commercial livestock operation since that time. From the 1920s under her passing in 1979, much of the ranch was owned by Marie Scott, as part of her 100,000-acre ranch operation stretching from Ridgway to Utah. This project was completed in partnership with Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Event: For Love Of The Land, Thursday evening 10/14/21. Location: Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Keynote Speaker will be Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and former VP/Chief Curator of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. For more information and ticket purchase go to https://coloradoopenlands.org/the-q-for-conservation/.
Posted 9/08/21: Job Opening – Stewardship Director. The Stewardship Director will coordinate the management of MALT’s four Fee Title Properties. In addition, the Director will coordinate and direct all stewardship activities for the 80 plus conservation easements held by MALT and assist the Land and Water Conservation Director with the development of conservation easements and public projects. Details and how to apply, https://savetheland.org/jobs-opportunities/
Keep It Colorado, Member Matters Newsletter, August 12, 2021 (members-only news & updates) https://www.keepitco.org/
Report published August 2021: This month Keep It Colorado and the Land Trust Alliance published a study about a pilot initiative Keep It Colorado launched last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study outlines in-depth 12 land trusts’ use of remote sensing technologies, such as satellite imagery, to remotely monitor properties as an alternative to in-person monitoring in 2020. Through focus groups, surveys and interviews with the participating land trusts, we discovered that by and large, remote technologies help reduce the costs, personnel hours and carbon emissions typically associated with observing and documenting changes to conserved landscapes. We were thrilled to be able to offer this pilot program to our members. Many thanks to Great Outdoors Colorado and the Gates Family Foundation for generously funding Keep It Colorado’s regrant program – which enabled us to offer $205,000 in grants to our land trusts!
2021 summer regional meetings: Coming together for conservation: As we mentioned in last month’s The Source, this summer Keep It Colorado staff have had the tremendous opportunity to travel around the state to convene with our members face-to-face. These regional meetings were packed with conversation, learning and sharing, as well as some social time and visits to conservation projects. We capped off the regional meeting season with a virtual gathering for those who were unable to travel. In all, 86 individuals attended, representing 30 of our member organizations from across the state. We had the distinct pleasure of welcoming GOCO’s new regional officers to these meetings as well – thanks for your ongoing support, GOCO!
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Our coalition members conserve and steward thousands of acres of land across the state. Each month we’ll celebrate this work by featuring 1-2 completed projects.
Slumgullion Center: At the toe of an earthflow
Working in partnership, Colorado Open Lands (COL) and the Lake Fork Valley Conservancy (LFVC), have permanently protected the Slumgullion Center property in Hinsdale County, between Lake San Cristobal and Lake City. This 58-acre property owned by LFVC comprises the toe of the Slumgullion Earthflow, an active landslide that moves as fast as seven meters per year on the most active portions. It’s been slowly flowing down the mountainside for twelve hundred years! The unique name, “Slumgullion,” comes from miners that used to live in the area. They said that the distinctive colors in the rocky debris looked just like the stews they fed themselves, which contained anything and everything they had in the kitchen at any one time.
Event October 13th: Fall Policy Summit in partnership with Colorado Open Space Alliance (COSA)’s annual conference in Vail, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1300 Westhaven Drive, Vail, Colorado. The Keep It Colorado policy summit will be on Day 3 of COSA, Wed. Oct. 13. Note that we’re currently planning this event to be in-person, and will also be offering the option to attend virtually. As COVID infections continue to surge, we recognize a need to stay flexible, so will be closely monitoring state and local guidelines around vaccinations, masks and social distancing, and will be prepared to make adjustments as needed over the coming months. In the meantime, we hope you’ll plan to attend this important annual convening!
Land Trust Alliance’s annual Rally conference is taking place virtually again this year, Oct. 5-7. Below are just a few planned topics. Learn more and register at www.alliancerally.org.
- Through the Looking Glass and Back with Syndicated Conservation Easements: Halting Abuse and Managing the Ugly Legacy | Speakers: Jessica Jay, Conservation Law, P.C.; Cheryl Cufre, Colorado Open Lands; Melissa Daruna, Keep It Colorado; Erik Glenn, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust.
- What is so Special about Grasslands and How Can Carbon Offsets Help Protect Them? | Speakers: Kelly Watkinson, Land Trust Alliance; Nicole Rosmarino, Southern Plains Land Trust; Kyler Sherry, The Climate Trust.
- Divide and Conserve? Preventing Multiple Ownership of Conservation Easement Property | Speakers: Tiffany Edwards, Peninsula Open Space Trust; Tamara Galanter, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP; Joel Nystrom, Colorado Open Lands
AVLT Closes on Purchase of 141-acre Coffman Ranch near Carbondale, Pitkin County to hold the conservation easement. (8/31/2021, The Aspen Times) The Coffman Ranch is located 1.5 miles east of Carbondale, along the Roaring Fork River. Rex and Jo Coffman have owned the ranch since the 1950s. Now in their 90s, they agreed to transfer the ranch to the Aspen Valley Land Trust, with life rights to stay in residence. Funding support came from Great Outdoors Colorado, Pitkin County, Garfield County, the town of Carbondale, River Valley Ranch’s Open Space Fund (held by AVLT) and numerous individual contributions. AVLT is launching a $7M public capital campaign, funds to be used over the next few years to invest in land management, restoration, regenerative agriculture, public access, and outdoor education – space for local schools and nonprofits to teach about ranching and conservation, as well as quiet open space close to town for the public to use. The ranch will become a permanent home for the nonprofit organization.
Maintaining a united front in Congress: Partnership for Conservation, a group also known as P4C, has hired public relations firms to recruit conservationists to work in opposition to the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act, legislation pending in Congress that is strongly endorsed by the Land Trust Alliance. This critical legislation would effectively halt abuse of the federal conservation easement tax incentive and may be considered by Congress in the coming weeks. Partnership for Conservation may appear to have a name and goals that are compatible with our community. However, its federal policy agenda is at odds with that of the Alliance and our members. If you have been or are approached by P4C or someone representing P4C interests, please immediately email
po****@lt*.org
. We all have a role to play in protecting the integrity of this important conservation program.
Barr Lake State Park banding station: Visit our Bird Banding Station for an up close and personal experience with birds! You will have a unique opportunity to experience science in action and observe a wildlife biologist banding and collecting important scientific data on live, migrating birds. You will also learn about specialized bird adaptations and behavior, annual migration, crucial habitat requirements, and key conservation issues. Bird banding data increases our knowledge and understanding of birds and is often utilized in management and conservation projects! The Banding Station is open from August 28th – October 23rd, 2021 and one hour programs are available Tuesdays – Fridays from 7:30-8:30a, and Saturday-Sunday from 8-9a, 9-10a, and 10-11a (closed Mondays). Registration is required for all timeslots and is $6/participant. Click Here To Register
Jefferson County – Sustainability Commission
https://www.jeffco.us/3406/Sustainability-Commission
Jefferson County – COVID-19 Updates
https://www.jeffco.us/3999/Coronavirus-Disease-2019-COVID-19
Denver – Park Hill Golf Course and Growth
https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Community-Planning-and-Development/Plans-in-Progress/Park-Hill-Golf-Course#section-3
Gross Reservoir Lawsuit
https://grossreservoir.org/?utm_source=Online&utm_medium=GooglePaidSearch&utm_campaign=2018ExpansionProject
Highlander Monthly September 2021: Gross Dam Expansion Update – Last September (2020), Denver Water submitted an Areas and Activities of State Interest (1041) application to Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting (CPP) for its Gross Reservoir Expansion project. Since that time, CPP requested additional information from Denver Water. On June 29, 2021, the CPP Director acknowledged Denver Water’s intent to not provide additional requested information, and determined the 1041 review will move to public hearings. Denver Water filed a lawsuit against the county in July 2021. The lawsuit alleges that the county does not have the authority to regulate the project because the project requires a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Because of the lawsuit, on July 26, Denver Water’s attorney requested that the CPP Director place the 1041 application on hold, and CPP Director Dale Case granted the request the next day, July 27. Consequently, public hearings that were set for August and September have been canceled.
Climate Change Articles of Interest
Denver Post, Sunday 9/19/2021 – From Western Slope to Eastern Plains, Colorado agriculture under pressure to adapt to warming world. Cutbacks in herd size, irrigation, wildfires, dried-up ponds: Farmers, ranchers experiencing the impacts of climate change. https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/19/colorado-agriculture-grapples-with-climate-change/
SLASH Collection: September 25-26 @ Jeffco Shaffer’s Crossing Road & Bridge Shop
SLASH Collection: October 2-3 @ Beaver Ranch Park
SLASH Collection: October 9-10 @ Beaver Ranch Park
SLASH Collection: October 16-17 @ Mount Vernon Country Club
SLASH Collection: October 23-24 @ Jeffco South Road & Bridge Shop
SLASH Collection: October 30-31 @ Thunder Valley
RSS Feeds
The following conservation organizations now have RSS feeds at the bottom of each of our own PLANJeffco web pages, so you can follow their postings at any time…
Douglas Land Conservancy, https://douglaslandconservancy.org/
Land Trust Alliance, www.lta.org
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, https://www.birdconservancy.org/
And there you have it. This is part of what we do, who we follow, what we’re interested in, because Conservation just doesn’t happen by itself…it takes a community to make it work. And as always, stay well, stay safe, be conservation-minded at all times.
Coal Creek Study Area Deer Hunt Ends
We aren’t alone. The national parks are being overrun. National Park attendance has spiked since 2019 (327 million visitors) with usage of many parks doubling (2020 use was down due to COVID and park closures). 
Isn’t this a gorgeous sight? Here we are at the Welch Ditch Bridge, the third and western-most of the three bridges that cross Clear Creek between the Gateway Segment Trailhead and the Tunnel One Trailhead.
North Table Mountain Park in the autumn months is notorious for visitors recreating after curfew. Special thanks go out to two volunteer Park Patrollers, Barbara Decet and Sylvan Ruud, who will be helping the Ranger Team with curfew/full moon popups at the park. They were on duty in August and are scheduled for more during the busy coming months. Having these volunteers help in delivering the importance of following the curfew will have a huge impact on the safety of Park visitors and the health of North Table Mountain. Photo by Anne Friant, illustrative editing by Photoshop.
Sylvia Brockner, author, long-time nature columnist for the Canyon Courier, co-founder of the Mountain Area Land Trust and the Evergreen Audubon Society, passed away on September 3rd, 2021, just shy of her 102nd birthday.
