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.
Conservation Smart Brief, November 17, 2022:
Recently posted to our website blog:
2020-2025 Conservation Greenprint – September 2022
Open Space Update – August 2022
Jeffco Open Space News & Events
https://www.jeffco.us/1523/News-Events
Know before you go! Check these sites for additional information on Park and Trail closures, openings, and other operations that may impact your Jeffco Open Space Park experience…
JCOS Alerts & Closures
JCOS News Releases
JCOS Event Calendar
JCOS Newsletters
Jeffco Fairgrounds – calendar
https://www.jeffco.us/calendar.aspx?CID=27
Denver Area Mineral Dealers Gem & Mineral Show, Exhibit Halls, November 18th & 19th, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, November 20th, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Summit School of Chess Youth Chess Tournament, Exhibit Halls, December 3, 2022, 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Westernaires Holiday Party, Exhibit Halls, December 11, 2022, 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
4-H Ring Rides, Event Center, December 13, 2022, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Convenience Pet Hospitals’ Golden Holiday Pet Bazaar, Exhibit Halls 1 & 2, December 17 & 18, 2022, 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
…and much more. Please check the Fairgrounds website calendar for detailed information for these events.
Colorado Open Lands
https://coloradoopenlands.org/ https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoOpenLands
Arkansas River Community Preserve in southern Lake County adds 100 acres, thanks to a decade-plus collaboration between Central Colorado Conservancy, Lake County, Colorado Open Lands, funders and other partners. The ARC Preserve protects important wetlands and wildlife habitat for bighorn sheep, elk, beaver, and many bird species. The public will be able to access the area in about a year to hike, fish, and more.
Big Country Ranch, 698 acres in Grand County, connects a portion of Arapahoe National Forest to large swaths of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and other private conservation easements. The property is a known winter range for elk, and habitat for Columbian Sharp-tailed grouse, bighorn sheep, black bear, pronghorn, mule deer, and numerous songbirds, raptors, small mammals, amphibians and lizards. Wetlands and several small ponds and a reservoir provide additional habitat value. The water rights are tied to the land with the easement as well. The Grand County Open Space, Rivers, and Trails program was a project partner.
Big Bend Pasture, located in the upper Tomichi Creek Valley, east of the City of Gunnison, is part of the Irby Ranch cattle and hay operation. The property, which provides summer and fall grazing ground for the family’s cattle, consists of irrigated meadows, sagebrush shrublands, subalpine forest, and ¾-mile of frontage along Big Bend Creek and 1.75 miles of frontage along Marshall Creek. The property is habitat for bald eagle, ferruginous hawk, greater sandhill crane, northern leopard frog, bighorn sheep, black bear, elk, moose, mountain lion and mule deer. It was the largest previously unprotected private property in the Marshall Creek drainage. This project was completed in partnership with Trust for Public Land.
Mountain Area Land Trust
https://www.savetheland.org/ https://www.facebook.com/MountainAreaLandTrustCO/
November 2, 2022: MALT has closed on a conservation easement in Boulder County. This 12-acre property is located west of Boulder, along Sunshine Canyon Drive. This CE is a connector between Boulder County Open Space and BLM lands. It ensures that scenic views of the Bighorn Mountain Natural Landmark are permanently protected, and is recognized by Colorado Parks and Wildlife as habitat for many large mammals, including mule deer, elk, black bear and mountain lion.
November 4, 2022: MALT, Keep It Colorado and Park County Land and Water Trust Fund have joined forces to enable the Sacramento Preserve Conservation Easement, 56.5-acres in Park County near the town of Fairplay. This area features a rich riparian and wetlands habitat, beaver ponds, wildlife and a small cabin. The owners, Tri-Walk LLC, Lynn Grams and Christine Smith, wish to preserve their families’ legacy with this Conservation Easement.
Keep It Colorado
https://www.keepitco.org/
Our mission is to unite, elevate and empower Colorado’s conservation community to protect the lands and waters that define our state.
Great Podcasts to Check Out https://www.keepitco.org/podcasts
Stewards of Golden Open Space
https://stewardsofgolden.org/
2022 Accomplishments…
SOLVE(Save Open Lands, Vistas and the Environment)
http://www.solveccc.org
Follow the postings from other Conservation Groups, listed at the bottom of our web pages:
Colorado Open Space Alliance (COSA)
Colorado Native Plant Society
Douglas Land Conservancy
Land Trust Alliance
https://landtrustalliance.org/land-trusts (to search for a specific land trust organization)
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
Jefferson County – Sustainability Commission
Do you have questions about the County Climate Action Plan? Meetings, members and resources? Sustainability awards and the Sustainability Foundation? Find out more at https://www.jeffco.us/3406/Sustainability-Commission
Jefferson County – COVID-19 Updates
Confused about COVID? Find out the latest alerts, recommendations and requirements at https://www.jeffco.us/3999/Coronavirus-Disease-2019-COVID-19
Watch This Space…
Update on Denver Golf Course
Park Hill golf course’s redevelopment just got a step closer to reality. But the deal is far from done If Westside redevelops the Park Hill golf course, a long-desired grocery store in Northeast Park Hill is not guaranteed. https://denverite.com/2022/10/20/park-hill-golf-course-redevelopment/
Hogback mine expansion in North Golden gets State approval.
To get more information on the Protect The Hogback group, go to https://www.protectthehogback.com/
Bear Creek Reservoir Expansion Proposal
https://www.lakewood.org/Government/Departments/Community-Resources/Projects/Bear-Creek-Reservoir-expansion-proposal
Gross Reservoir Updates
https://www.denverwater.org/grossreservoir
10/01/2022 – Boating season at Gross Reservoir has ended for 2022. There is no on-water recreation between Oct. 1 and May 26. Other recreation activities, including hiking, fishing and picnicking, are permitted year-round, sunrise to sunset. Click here for additional information about recreation at Gross Reservoir.
Climate Change Articles of Interest
How to buy a San Luis Valley reservoir. A local water district, a federal land agency, a state wildlife group and a national environmental nonprofit partnered on a creative water deal with multiple benefits for the valley. https://coloradosun.com/2022/11/02/shaw-reservoir-new-owners/?mc_cid=21b1b3f453&mc_eid=7396f15ef3
Fire Season Updates
Foothills Fire Protection District Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)
The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was updated in December 2020. The plan in its entirety is posted at this link: https://foothillsfire.colorado.gov/cwpp
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.
By Vicky Gits and Bette Seeland, Nov 26, 2023
What we know today as Crown Hill Open Space Park wasn’t always a public venue. One year before the end of the American Civil War, in 1864, a young man named Henry Lee sojourned west from Iowa to join his brother, William, who had a farm east of Golden, on the south side of Clear Creek.
If you’re a regular — or even an occasional — visitor to our Jeffco Open Space Parks, you’ll know about the mud season routine. Walk through, not around the mud.
If you’re a frequent Open Space Park Visitor, maybe you’ve noticed there have been quite a few changes lately. If you’ve ever wondered why, and what’s happening to the Parks, here’s your chance to find out. There’s a document called 
Temps have dropped and winter winds lick the landscape of the Jeffco Parks. Although the winter season has arrived, the parks are still great places to visit. Read on for essential winter safety tips.
