Articles That Educate Archives - Page 4 of 6

Plaque at the base of the Lubahn Trail, South Table Open Space Park.

The Lubahn Trail on STM, Ignored But Not Forgotten (updated)

August 3, 2020/1 Comment/in Articles That Educate, JeffCo Open Space, Land Preservation, Parks & Trails /by BlogMaster

Hello from Miss Mountain Manners!

Today we have a little history lesson plus a talk about proper trail etiquette. I want to show you what happens when visitors to the parks fail to #StayOnTrail.

Rarely do we post about parks or trails that are not part of Open Space, but this trail deserves special attention. The Jack D. Lubahn Trail, a trail that belongs to the City of Golden, snakes up South Table Mountain from the eastern terminus of 18^th Street in Golden.

The Lubahn Trail has a long history. It was begun by Jack Lubahn in 1965, shortly after he and his family moved into a house at the corner of 19^th Street and Table Drive. This was a labor of love; each morning Jack would work on trail building for an hour before heading to his day job at the School of Mines.

The trail took six years to finish; it was completed in 1971. To build the switchbacks, Jack had to move boulders that weighed up to two tons with just his block and tackle – truly a labor of love! The rock retaining walls on the trail stand as a tribute to his efforts.

https://stewardsofgolden.org/lubahn-trail%2Fsouth-table

The trail tracks through land that belongs to the City of Golden. In 1995 and 1996 Jeffco Open Space paid 70% of the cost of 7.5 acres on the western slope of South Table Mountain, which the County then deeded back to the City of Golden with a reverter clause – typical of JCOS investments that partner with a city or rec district. The reverter clause ensures that the land will be used for recreation; otherwise, the property will revert back to Open Space.

According to Colorado Lifestyle: “No one ever hikes the Lubahn Trail by itself. Instead they use it as the primary way to get part way up South Table Mountain in Golden and then use one of the many unofficial (social) trails to the top of Castle Rock (formally known as Table Rock). According to the city, this additional excursion is illegal because it traverses private property.”

http://colorado-lifestyle.blogspot.com/2009/05/lubahn-trail.html

These photos show what can (and does) happen to a trail when it’s abused. Over its lifetime, trekkers and hill climbers, on foot and mountain bike, have short-cut the switchbacks, causing damage – in some places, significant damage – to the original rock work that forms the walls that line the trail. As a knowledgeable Park Visitor, I’m sure you would never do something like this, because if you did, then you would be adding to the damage on the trail.

Hiking the Lubahn can be challenging. The base of the trail is 5676 feet in elevation. By the time you get to the top of the official trail, you’ve gained 400 feet, and if you persist in trespassing and climb to the top of the castle rock (a total of 643 feet from base to top of the castle rock), you’ll encounter multiple social trails and the crumbing Lubahn itself. But, Dear Visitor, I’m sure you would never knowingly trespass on private land.

As you can see from these photos, the Lubahn Trail can be narrow in parts. Social distancing in this age of Covid is not possible when encountering others coming in the opposite direction, so have your mask ready and put it on.

Note: stepping off the trail is not a good idea, since South Table is known rattlesnake territory. Even though a rattlesnake cannot lunge much beyond 1/2 to 1/3 of its length, an encounter with a rattlesnake that results in a bite is not something that you want to experience.

The Lubahn trail emerges on top of the mesa on private land; it’s the most obvious route up to the castle rock, which is where most visitors want to go. The castle rock itself is on private land. Continued and ongoing short-cutting, perhaps because of the steepness of the grade, has continued to tear up the trail, causing loss of the rock walls’ integrity and serious erosion of the slope.

There is no clear boundary between the private and JCOS land, although there are some recently installed posts on the JCOS border along the new JCOS trail, saying that it is private land behind the posts. None of these posts are visible from where one attains the mesa top via the Lubahn trail, and no one taking the Lubahn would have any way of knowing they were on private land. It’s also not clear where the border is between city of Golden and private land.

Today there are two trailheads within 1/2 block of each other, on a neighborhood street, both very visible. The Lubahn trail has a sign and a trashcan at the entrance plus an information board on local geology. The plaque in the top photo is a short distance up the trail.

A half-block away is the new JCOS trail. It has a COVID signboard plus a newly installed map of South Table Mountain open space. There is no official parking or public restrooms. The neighborhood street is almost always packed with parked cars. Any park visitor would assume both trails are sanctioned for use. A very common hike is to go up one trail and come down the other.

The new trail construction on South Table Mountain is beautiful. Many people are excited about it. The field patroller who provided the information for this article has talked to many visitors who are really excited about the new trail, and two equestrians who were making their way up to the mesa top – something that was not previously possible for a horse.

The Lubahn trail has done well for being over 50 years old and not having had a dedicated maintenance program. Mike Foster, JCOS Stewardship Manager, has been in conversation with Golden about building an alternate to the Lubahn that would require less rock work and would integrate more closely with the contours of the land. At this time it’s not clear what will happen to the Lubahn.

Many thanks to our PLAN Jeffco Board Member and JCOS Field Patroller Lydia Andrews-Jones for providing these captioned photos on the historic Lubahn Trail. So remember, Dear Visitor, when you’re hiking South Table, Lydia will be watching and welcoming, and can tell you the story of the Lubahn trail.

Update February 9, 2021 – the City of Golden Parks Board is evaluating future options for the Lubahn trail. “The trail has been around for a long time and it is in really poor condition,” said Rod Tarullo, the director of Golden’s parks department. “There’s probably a variety of reasons for that but it was never really built to today’s trail standards and we have a lot more people using our trails then we did in past years.” Read the entire article here.

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Survey to help guide Mt. Morrison upgrades

May 23, 2020/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate, JeffCo Open Space, Parks, Parks & Trails, Uncategorized /by BlogMaster

Mt. Morrison from Red Rocks Elementary School. Jan. 28, 2020. By Vicky Gits

Jeffco Open Space is launching an online public survey to address possible improvements on the trail to the top of Mount Morrison.

While the trail begins and ends on Denver Mountain Parks land, most of it is on Jeffco Open Space

The survey is now available at the Jeffco Open Space website. Click on: Matthews-Winter Park web page.

The survey is intended to collect information on how and why people are using the trail. “Based on that feedback we will develop some trail ideas that balance visitor needs with resource protection,” said Mike Foster, Open Space stewardship manager.

A couple of options will be provided to the public for more comment and then construction could begin in winter 2021.

Mount Morrison ascends almost 2,000 feet to 7,877 feet over numerous difficult, dangerous rocky places. Mountaineers have been known to use it as a training site for much harder and longer international climbs.

There is very little room to park cars ear the trailhead at Titans road and Highway 8 west of Morrison.

From about 1909 to 1919, Mount Morrison was a popular tourist destination, featuring a cable incline railway and two 100-passenger railcars.

–Vicky Gits

October 25, 2019/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate, Calls to Action, Events & Parties, Featured, Uncategorized, Wildlife /by Vicky Gits

Not everything we post is about Jefferson County Open Space. For instance, the 2019 Pollinator Summit is an event you may want to check out if you have an interest in wildscaping your neighborhood.

Yes, even if you live in the city, you can enjoy the benefits of a wildscaped environment in your own back yard! Come and find out how it’s done!

Fourth Annual Colorado Pollinator Summit
Friday, Nov 1, 2019, 8 am-4:30 pm; $45

Sustainability, Energy, & Environment Center
CU Boulder East Campus, 4001 Discovery Drive
Boulder, CO 80303

Morning talks and panels will feature the theme of “Protecting Colorado’s Biodiversity” through

models for wildscaping urban neighborhoods, landscaping for biodiversity, and regenerating land through holistic farming-all with a Colorado focus. Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, will give opening remarks.

The afternoon will include a participatory format and short inspiring talks to spur breakthrough thinking and action.

Register now. Past summits have sold out in advance. Registration includes lunch and refreshments. Discount rates available for students.

https://tickets.butterflies.org/DateSelection.aspx?item=491

Pack It In, Pack It Out and Outdoor Ethics

December 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate /by BlogMaster

Outdoor Ethics may be summed up in the phrase Leave No Trace, and in Jefferson County Open Space Parks, like all other park systems, the rules of good outdoor ethics apply. Specific rules may be found in park regulations,

For the most up-to-date park rules, read the JCOS Parks Regulations and observe all rules posted in Jeffco Open Space Parks.

Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) Parks Regulations / Reglamentaciones en Español(jeffco.us)

which all park users should know and follow (see link at right).

Following are a few tips and reminders to ensure that you are following good outdoor ethics:

Pack it in / Pack it out.

Plan ahead! If you pack drinks and snacks, don’t be tempted to leave litter on the trail. Bring a bag for rubbish and keep it handy. Remember, wildlife will be attracted to your discards. Consider designating one member of your party to carry the rubbish bag and to ensure that all trash is placed in it. Use designated trash receptacles in the park.

Dogs—must be on a leash and under your control at all times. Dispose of pet waste properly.

Wildlife—should be viewed from a safe distance. Wildlife and their habitats including burrows, dens, and nests are protected. Don’t feed the wildlife.

Natural & Cultural Resources—may not be damaged or collected including wildflowers, wood, rocks, or historical or other objects.

Fires—are allowed only where designated and in provided grills, fire pits, etc.

Check for restrictions at Jeffco Sheriff Restriction & Bans / Fire Info Hotline: 303.271.8200.

As a Jefferson County Open Space Parks user, you are responsible for knowing and complying with all park regulations. Park regulations include important information about safety, swimming, boating, fishing, camping, missiles & crafts, team sports, noise, and more:

Jeffco Open Space Parks Regulations / Reglamentaciones en Español(jeffco.us/open-space/regulations/)

To ensure that you have the most current & accurate information regarding park closures, changes to rules & regulations, or any other changes to the parks or park systems call or visit Jefferson County Open Space Parks online at jeffco.us/open-space.

Slower Life: The Worms of Spring

May 1, 2016/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate /by BlogMaster

Did Charles Darwin retire after spending 20 years on his greatest contribution, On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection? Not likely. But he did slow down, in a sense. Where he had studied pigeons and chickens in his pursuit of inherited traits, he turned in later years to earthworms and plants, where his efforts were equally impressive though far less well known. Why did one of the world’s great scientists spend his last two decades studying the slow details of wormly lives and plant movements, painting his illustrious career into a seemingly obscure corner? No doubt part of the reason was escape from the attention (much of it hostile) his major work had attracted. But the greater reason has to be that he found these topics fascinating. In hundreds of careful experiments he plotted the movements of plants, showing their slow lives to be quite active on a scale difficult for us to perceive with casual observation. He showed that all parts of a plant are in constant motion, leaves and tips describing ellipses and loops in air without our ever realizing it.

Darwin was most impressed by roots, especially that first root of a young seedling, called the radicle. He likened the tip of the radicle to the brain of “lower” animals, guiding and deciding the best route through the soil. He compared the radicle to a wedge driving into the soil, but as it is a living, sensitive, and responsive wedge, he was inspired to say that

“A radicle may be compared with a burrowing animal such as a mole… By continually moving his head from side to side … he will feel any stone or other obstacle, as well as any difference in the hardness of the soil, and he will turn from that side; if the earth is damper on one than on the other side he will turn thitherward as a better hunting-ground. Nevertheless, after each interruption, guided by the sense of gravity, he will be able to recover his downward course and to burrow to a greater depth.”

Much as roots do, earthworms operate as wedges, pushing through soil in a similar fashion, extending a narrow head into an opening, then forcing their wider bodies in to enlarge it. Simple hydraulic action. As roots do, they sense and respond to nuances in the soil that you and I are incapable of detecting. One year during our lengthy wet cycle, I took advantage of the opportunity to conduct my own researches on earthworms. Not being as dedicated to science as Darwin, my experiments were mostly casual and even accidental: I spilled a bag of fresh rabbit manure in the middle of a hard-packed gravel driveway. When I returned a fortnight and several rainstorms later to clean it up, I discovered this tempting offering had attracted earthworms. Although the nearest hospitable soil was more than 20 feet away, they had responded to the dinner bell, that small chemical message sent down through the soil from the first organic material to hit that spot in more than 15 years.

Most of my recent earthworm observations, though, took place on roads. After rain, it’s nice to go out and recover a few earthworms for the garden. I chose some who retained ambition and vitality, as evidenced by their attempts to penetrate the asphalt. (I suspect they fared better before our road—or our world—was paved.) Then I gave them a test, spreading them out on a nice pot of soil. All they had to do was bury themselves to prove they were survivors. After one hour, a big pile of worms remained on the surface. Little movement was visible. After three hours, most of the worms were shorter, having gotten part of their length into the soil. An hour later, the unsuccessful ones got to be a snack for my chickens. (I know what decomposing worms smell like and didn’t need to repeat that experiment.)

Don’t you wonder where all those worms that wash out come from–and where they go? Despite the numerous victims of drowning, desiccation, and squishing, I’m convinced most of them make it back to friendly soil, if only to be forced out again by the next hard rain. A network of worm trails but few bodies in the soft silt this morning bears out this conclusion. As soon as the rain ends and air reenters the soil, they return home. They must, or we’d see none the next time it rained. Many, though, are lost forever: I saw one who had ventured indoors and made it across 20 feet of carpet before expiring into crispiness. Others are brought in by the cat, who doesn’t seem to know what to do with them and simply deposits them in the kitchen. Robins and others are happy to gather as many as they can eat. Some, I assure you, are rescued by a secret society of worm-lovers who venture out after each rain out of high regard for these important creatures.

Part of the reason for Darwin’s research must have been to help the public image of the earthworm, and he eventually even came to respect their intelligence, although keeping them on the piano in the parlor did not endear them to his wife. From most of us, worms get no respect even today. Yet they are always busy, processing and enriching about 18 tons of soil per acre each year. Darwin, in his research, was building on an idea presented earlier by naturalist Gilbert White, that “the earth without worms would soon become cold, hardbound…and sterile.”

Illustration by Jan Ratcliffe

Birds of Mount Falcon

September 1, 2015/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate /by BlogMaster

On September 29, seventeen members of the “Tuesday Birders” spent four and one-half hours looking for and counting birds at the West (upper) end of Mount Falcon Open Space Park. One hundred ninety-five individual birds, representing 31 species, were sighted. At the upper park’s elevation, about 7800 feet, both plains and mountain species can be seen.

The most common mountain species were:

nuthatches – 18 pygmy, 6 white-breasted, and 2 red-breasted; and

dark-eyed juncos – 18 gray-headed, 1 pink-sided, and 1 Oregon.

The most common plains species were:

robins – 15 American and

sparrows – 10 chipping and 2 juvenile whitecrowned.

Cooper’s Hawk. Photo by William H. Majoros (Wikipedia.org).

Black-Capped Chickadees. Photo by CheepShot (Wikipedia.org).

Hawks included:

1 Cooper’s,

2 red-tailed, and

1 American kestrel (it really is a falcon).

Woodpeckers included:

2 Hairy and

3 northern flicker.

Jays included:

2 pinyon and

6 Steller’s.

Chickadees included:

16 mountain and

3 black-capped.

Bluebirds included:

39 western and

6 mountain.

Finches:

22 Cassin’s and

2 lesser goldfinch

Other birds identified were:

1 turkey vulture,

1 black-billed magpie,

3 American crow,

1 common raven,

2 brown creeper,

6 Townsend’s solitaire,

1 yellow-rumped warbler,

1 western tanager, and

1 pine siskin.

See also:

Mount Falcon Park

Birds of Chatfield

May 1, 2015/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate /by BlogMaster

Image: Great-horned owlets in the nest, sighted at Chatfield State Park. Photo by Rob Raker.

Hiking, biking and horse-back riding are not the only things that you can do in the open spaces of Jefferson County. Ann Bonnell, long-time PLAN Jef fco Board Member and volunteer naturalist (and inveterate birder) for Roxborough State Park, South Platte Park, Denver Botanic Gardens and the Audubon Society of Greater Denver, recently sent these photos from some of her Tuesday Birder excursions at Chatfield State Park, which she guides.

The Tuesday Birders are a group of dedicated bird watchers who visit a different area of the Front Range at least once a month.

Common Mergansers in flight over Chatfield Reservoir, photo by Jim Esten, April 7, 2015

Tree Swallows at Chatfield State Park, photo by Jim Esten, April 7, 2015

Meadowlark at Chatfield State Park, photo by Jim Esten, April 7, 2015

Tuesday Birder - Chatfield State Park - Meadowlark. Photo by Jim Esten.

Red-shafted Flickers (male at top, female below) sighted at Chatfield State Park, photo by Jim Esten, April 7, 2015

Tuesday Birder - Chatfield State Park - Red-shafted Flickers. Photo by Jim Esten.

Killdeer (nesting pair?) sighted at Chatfield State Park, photo by Jim Esten, April 7, 2015

Great-horned owlets in the nest, sighted at Chatfield State Park, photos by Rob Raker, April 7, 2015

Belmar Park, Englewood: Great Blue Herons engaged in nest-building. Photo by Jim Esten, April 2, 2015.

Tuesday Birder Group Visits Bear Creek Lake Park

March 31, 2015/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate /by BlogMaster

Tuesday Birders, led by Ann Bonnell, Dave Hill, and Phil Gerkin, visited Bear Creek Lake Park, a City of Lakewood Park, on March 31st for a four-hour walk amidst 58° – 75° weather to record bird species and numbers.

The following is their report:

Leader(s): Ann Bonnell, Dave Hill, Phil Gerkin

Observers: 30 (three groups)

Time: 0845-1300

Distance: 7.25 miles walked (combined)

Habitat: Reservoir, riparian, cottonwood, willow, cattails, open fields.

Elevation: 5800’

Weather: Mostly sunny, 58-75 degrees F, wind SE 0-5 mph.

Totals: 32 species, 217 individuals.

Summary:

Species Name	Count
Canada Goose	43
Gadwall	2
Mallard	18
Common Goldeneye	10
Western Grebe	1
Great Blue Heron	6
Cooper’s Hawk	2
Bald Eagle	1
Red-tailed Hawk	2
American Coot	1
Killdeer	3
Ring-billed Gull	2
Rock Pigeon (feral pigeon)	10
Eurasian Collared-Dove	4
Mourning Dove	1
Great Horned Owl	3
Belted Kingfisher	2
Downy Woodpecker	1
Northern Flicker	8
American Kestrel	2
Black-billed Magpie	24
American Crow	1
Common Raven	1
Black-capped Chickadee	7
American Robin	24
European Starling	2
Spotted Towhee	2
Song Sparrow	6
Dark-eyed Junco	2
Red-winged Blackbird	7
Western Meadowlark	17
House Finch	2

Tuesday Birder group visits Lair ‘o’ Bear Open Space Park

November 4, 2014/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate /by BlogMaster

Tuesday Birders lead by Dave Hill, Ann Bonnell and Mary Keithler, visited Lair ‘o’ Bear, a Jeffco Open Space Park, on November 4th for a three hour walk amidst 31 – 53° weather to record bird species and numbers.

The following is their report:

Leader(s): Dave Hill, Ann Bonnell and Mary Keithler

Observers: 27 (three groups)

Time: 0900-1215

Distance: 8.5 miles on foot

Habitat: Riparian, cottonwood, willow, mixed aspen and conifers, some Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir & blue spruce.

Elevation: 6427’-7361’

Weather: Mostly sunny; 31-53°F, SW wind, 0-8 mph

Totals: 19 species +3 taxa., 163 individuals

Summary:

Mallard	4
Red-tailed Hawk	3
Downy Woodpecker	4
Northern Flicker	4
Steller’s Jay	11
Western Scrub-Jay	3
Black-billed Magpie	8
American Crow	6
Black-capped Chickadee	36
White-breasted Nuthatch	5
American Dipper	1
Townsend’s Solitaire	2
American Robin	3
American Tree Sparrow	6
Song Sparrow	7
White-crowned Sparrow	7
Dark-eyed Junco	38 including: “White-winged” race – 1 “Oregon” race – 2 “Pink-sided” race – 4 “Gray-headed” race – 4
House Finch	14
American Goldfinch	1

On Golden Clouds

September 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Articles That Educate /by BlogMaster

Perhaps city folks don’t notice, but few who live in mountains and foothills escape knowing when the pines are doing their thing, and this spring was certainly one of the obvious ones. We see pollen adrift on spring puddles, pollen gathered from the roof to collect in rain barrels, pollen like golden dust all over our decks–marking the tracks of squirrels that have passed. We may fuss at the inconvenience of this annual deposition, especially if we’re the ones that sweep up, and we may question whether all the mess is truly necessary. Along the way to your deck, though, aren’t there a few compensations?

Pollen of pines and other conifers appears in great golden clouds loosened by spring breezes to drift and swirl across mountain landscapes. A combination of events makes this special sight possible, and you ought to consider yourself lucky to catch it. The dark green background of conifer dominance gives these seasonal clouds their dramatic visual setting, surprising newcomers and delighting residents with a familiar, yet mysterious, phenomenon. Probably there are other golden clouds—of grass, or cottonwood, or willow pollen—destined to remain invisible only because they lack the necessary dark backdrop to display themselves effectively.

The air is so filled with this evidence of male energy taking wing that even the evening news begins to notice. When mentioning pollen, does the weatherperson report that this massive outpouring ensures future generations of Colorado’s forests? Not so. Too often we take the presence of airborne pollen to be yet another inconvenience. But look at it from the other point of view for a moment. Perhaps the pollen grain finds it inconvenient to be forcibly snuffed up into a foreign and inhospitable land—our noses—where its germination processes can’t possibly aid the procreation of its species and can only annoy our own. Far from its intended destination, the inhaled pollen grain attempts to initiate a pollen tube on the moist surface of our nasal passages, chemically eating its way through the tissue, much to our continual discomfort.

Had the errant grain landed on a more hospitable surface, sifting down between the scales of a developing female pine cone of the correct species, its life would likely have been longer and more productive. The successful pollen grain spends the entire summer growing a pollen tube—dissolving its way through the soft tissues of the female cone. During the winter it is dormant, its growth arrested by cold. A new surge of growth in spring brings the tube within reach of the developing egg, where it deposits a sperm cell about 13 months from the time the original pollen grain left the parent tree. That’s a substantial lifespan for a single cell, and just the beginning for the seed that’s to mature in fall. But surely only a tiny fraction of pollen grains enjoy such a fate.

What good are all those unsuccessful grains? Besides the allergy-annoyance and resultant boost to the pharmaceutical economy, pollen grains collectively have plenty to tell. Carried by the slightest breeze and its own bladder-like wings, pine pollen spreads far and wide—in space and in time. Its abundance and resistance to decay make it an important fossil marker. Fossils and fossil pollen closely related to our pines have been found in Colorado from rocks deposited in Cretaceous time, as much as 100 million years ago. Other fossil conifers—and their typical two-winged pollen grains—date to the Carboniferous Period, some 300 million years ago. The distinctiveness and widespread occurrence of this pollen type have made it useful to us in another way—as evidence of past climates and environments. Pine pollen, for example, is regarded as an indicator of warm, dry climates, and is used extensively to document the comings and goings of glaciers during the last million years.

Pollen chronologies ought to be unreliable. After all, pollen can be carried far above the Earth on air currents, or it can be washed into rivers and transported out to sea. So far from its source, it may not be telling us what we think. You would expect strong winds and varied source environments to create an incomprehensible mix—a regional pollen stew from our golden clouds. The wide dispersal of wind-borne pollen surely blurs the distinctiveness of the record it creates. Despite such concerns, pollen dating works—ask any oil company who has profited by trusting the usefulness of this tool.