Public land agencies remind everyone to #recreateresponsibly this summer

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Federal, state, and local agencies remind everyone to know before you go, plan ahead, be courteous on area trails, and help protect sensitive natural resources.

With visitation to Front Range trails expected to increase over the next several weeks, a group of eight federal, state, and local Colorado land managers remind visitors to recreate responsibly on area public lands. Recreating outdoors is an important way of life for all Coloradans, and public land agencies need everyone’s cooperation to help them sustain enjoyable outdoor experiences and preserve natural areas for future generations.

Public land agencies with lands along Colorado’s Front Range remind visitors to “know before you go,” plan ahead, and remember several essential responsible recreation guidelines over Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer, including:

  • Enjoy and protect shared public lands. With visitation continuing to increase, the agencies remind visitors to do their part to help protect land, wildlife, water, and plants. Numerous small disturbances can quickly harm sensitive natural resources and have a lasting impact on shared public lands. Remember to “Leave No Trace” and be prepared to pack out all trash and dog waste when receptacles aren’t available.
  • Be courteous and inclusive. People visit trails and public lands for many reasons, including emotional and physical well-being and spending time with friends and family members. Visitors of all identities and abilities deserve respect and courtesy while recreating outdoors.
  • Plan visits ahead of time and know your limits. Local public land agencies continue to see sustained high numbers of rescues. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Look at the weather forecast and trail and trailhead information. Visit public lands with a friend or a family member. Tell people where you’re going and when you plan on returning. Make sure to bring food and water. Wear appropriate clothing and shoes for cold, wet, or changing weather conditions.
  • Don’t park illegally at full trailheads and follow all rules and regulations. Have an alternate plan in case the parking lot is full. Parks and trails are generally less crowded on weekdays. Trailhead parking lots are often full early in the morning on weekends. Take shuttles to popular recreation areas, if available. Review agency rules and regulations before heading to the trailhead as individual areas may have special restrictions or guidelines.
  • Continue to follow all public health guidance and requirements. Stay home if you are sick. Remember to “keep the space in open space” by maintaining 6 feet of distance from people not in your household. While no longer required, it’s recommended you bring a face covering with you because it’s not always possible to maintain 6 feet of physical distance outdoors, such as passing others on a narrow trail.
  • Stay on trail and walk through mud. If you need to step off-trail to let others pass, avoid stepping on vegetation. Step back on trail immediately after people pass you. Please don’t travel off trail. Help protect sensitive wildlife habitats by staying out of wildlife closure areas.

The group of public land agencies who participated in this joint release remind residents to access their websites to view critical advisories and trail maps BEFORE planning visits to public lands:

Visitors can also download the following trail apps developed with support from the State of Colorado, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado:

  • Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX), available for free in the Apple and Google stores.
  • Boulder Area Trails App, available for free in the Apple and Google store

Open Space Update – April 2021

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If March saw a lot of snow, it seems like April saw just as much if not more! However, that didn’t seem to slow down the teams at our Jeffco Open Space Parks:

 

North Table Mountain Park – West Trailhead

The entry sign received a new sign face with updated trailhead name and new timbers.

 

 

 

Clear Creek Canyon Park Gateway Segment

The Gateway Segment is getting some new steps leading down to the Peaks to Plains Trail. The contractor is installing steel stairs, steel shade structures, and pavers, while the Trails Team is constructing timber stairs.

The Buildings & Historic Sites Team has installing interior plumbing and a snow melt system, while the contractor has installed concrete in front of the restroom.

 

 

Peak to Plains Trail

JCOS staff is currently in the midst of a listening tour with Peaks to Plains Trail partners and stakeholders for the Plains Segment from Golden to Adams County.  The objective of the effort is to identify and act on opportunities for improvement in this trail corridor of statewide significance.  Download the Peak to Plains Collaborative Fact Sheet for more detailed information.

The Buildings & Historic Sites Team repaired railing along the trail damaged from a rockslide.

Van Bibber Park

The Trails Team prepared for the Earth Day volunteer project on Saturday, April 24.  The focus of the project was natural surface trail construction, unauthorized trail restoration, fence installation and shrub/forb plantings.

Beaver Ranch Park

Through an extensive community engagement process, the Beaver Ranch Park Master Plan was completed in 2017 and includes an outline for park-wide improvements.  The primary focus of the proposed improvements is to create a main trailhead at the Park’s entrance and limit the vehicular access beyond this new space.  The trailhead will become the primary parking destination for most visitors and most amenities not included in the new trailhead design will be accessed on foot.

As a part of park-wide improvements included in the Master Plan, Jefferson County Open Space is considering a relocation of the dog off-leash area.  To get a better understanding of the community needs, a Beaver Ranch Dog-Off Leash survey has been issued.  The survey can be accessed by scanning the QR code with the on-site signage or by clicking the link to the Beaver Ranch Park page.  The survey ran from April 1 – April 30.

Wednesday Forums Are Back

For the first time in more than a year, the Planning Team hosted the first of the virtual Wednesday Forums of 2021 in early April.  More than 70 attendees joined the forum to learn about the South Table Mountain Park Land Exchange and park improvements, as well as the work that’s happening at Beaver Ranch Park.  The following week the Planning and Projects Teams discussed the latest developments for Alderfer/Three Sisters and Tincup Ridge Parks. Want to get notifications prior to the meetings? Go to the Open Space Calendar Page and click the “Notify Me” icon at the top of the page.

South Table Mountain Park – Department of Energy (DOE) Land Exchange

On April 8, JCOS held a virtual community meeting to discuss the proposed DOE land exchange and planned access and trailhead updates to South Table Mountain Park.  Over 100 community members attended the live virtual meeting, which is available for viewing on our STM park page. The public comment period runs through May 12. If you are interested in providing feedback, please send comments to

ST*@je****.us











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Trails Partnership Program 2021 Success! 

As a part of Conservation Greenprint Goal #8, Easy and Equitable Access, JCOS created the Trails Partnership Program to help support our partners who are interested in building and improving the greater Jefferson County Trail System.  Partners were required to apply for funding, and a review team of JCOS staff and Open Space Advisory Committee members decided on the following projects to receive funding:

City of Arvada – A new trailhead at Standley Lake Library providing an outdoor classroom for the library and an ADA accessible connection from Kipling Parkway to the Rocky Mountain Greenway.

Buffalo Park Improvement Association – A permanent vault restroom will replace the current port-o-lets at the Buffalo Creek Trailhead.

City of Lakewood – Maintenance to Bear Creek Trail and the construction of a parallel crusher fine trail to relieve visitor conflict.

Leawood Metro Rec & Park District – Bridge maintenance at Weaver Park.

City of Wheat Ridge – The addition of two trail connections from the sidewalks on either side of Wadsworth Boulevard down to the Clear Creek Trail.

All of these projects will add great value to our Jefferson County community, and we are looking forward to the next four years as we continue the Trails Partnership Program and help more of our partners achieve their goals.

Abandoned Mine Closures

The Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) has begun an abandoned mine reclamation project on JCOS properties, which will run through the end of June.  There are 14 stopes or adits that will be closed and/or fenced at no expense to JCOS.  All of the sites have been evaluated for bat habitat and will be remediated accordingly.  Please note that the conditions when mines may open, enlarge, or reopen continue to change, so operate with extreme caution when in the vicinity of former mining locations.  Just to be on the safe side, please report any unsecured mine openings to the closest Park Ranger or Volunteer.

First Quarter Camping Reservations

With camping reservations already being scheduled through the beginning of July at all three Open Space campgrounds, the word is out.  Below are the year-to-date camping reservation totals and the 10-year comparison for the first quarter of 2021.

 

 

 

Land Acreage Verification Project – Complete!

The Land Acreage Verification Project (LAVP) began with the need to understand the different types of acreage Jefferson County Open Space has contributed to preserving. Through an exhaustive and meticulous three-year collaboration between the Real Estate and GIS Teams, each JCOS land record was examined and its acreage verified which has led to an accurate count of the preserved acreage: 54,318 acres. Moving forward, the Real State and GIS Teams will work together to ensure this number is accurate and up-to-date and have developed processes to ensure that whenever someone asks how many acres JCOS is preserving, that question can be answered with confidence.

Partners in the Outdoors 2021 Virtual Conference Details and Registration

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Partners in the Outdoors Conference unites partners in the outdoors community as we continue to explore the complicated relationship between conservation and recreation in our state.  This year’s virtual conference will continue efforts to advance the priorities identified in Colorado’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) while also supporting Colorado’s Outdoor Principles.  Consider registering (required) for a session to learn about key issues in the industry while generating innovative solutions to advance and balance both recreation and conservation in Colorado.

Conference sessions began April 22 (Earth Day) and will continue through June 3.  JCOS is a conference sponsor and we are specifically highlighting the May 20 session, “Effectively Managing Increasing Visitation to Colorado’s Public Lands”. Expanded conference details can be found here: Colorado Parks & Wildlife – Partners in the Outdoors Conference (state.co.us)

 

There’s always a lot going on in our Open Space Parks! The to-do list must be longer than any of us could imagine!

Miss Mountain Manners wants to let everyone at JeffCo Open Space know how proud we at PLAN Jeffco are of the terrific work that they’re doing. The next time you’re in one of our Parks and you see a JCOS Staffer or Volunteer, introduce yourself and say “thank you”.

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco