It’s that time again, when — every few years — Jeffco Open Space elicits feedback from the public on issues like planning for the parks, and improving and maintaining not just the Open Space Parks, but also shared parks, trails and open spaces. Here’s your chance to voice an opinion on our Jeffco Open Space Parks. The survey will be open for just a short time, so go to this page and start engaging!
SLASH – Sustainable Lands And Safer Homes — is back for 2024, and the full schedule, with all relevant information (where, when, cost, what constitutes a truckload, etc) is available at https://www.jeffco.us/2493/Slash-Collection
Th 5/23 – Su 5/26
Th 5/30 – Fr 5/31
Th 6/06 – Fr 6/07
Th 6/13 – Fr 6/14
Th 6/20 – Fr 6/21
Th 6/27 – Fr 6/28
Th 7/04 – Fr 7/05
Th 7/11 – Fr 7/12
Th 7/18 – Fr 7/19
Sa 6/01 – Su 6/02
Sa 6/08 – Su 6/09
Sa 6/15 – Su 6/16
Sa 6/22 – Su 6/23
Sa 6/29 – Su 6/30
Sa 7/06 – Su 7/07
Sa 7/13 – Su 7/14
Sa 7/20 – Su 7/21
Th 7/25 – Su 7/28
Th 8/01 – Su 8/04
Th 8/15 – Su 8/18
Th 8/22 – Su 8/25
Th 8/29 – Su 9/01
Th 9/05 – Su 9/08
Saturdays and Sundays, June 1 through October 27
Site hours: 9AM to 4PM except for the Marshdale Property. Please plan to arrive no later than 1/2 hour before closing.
Miss Mountain Manners wants to thank everyone who will take part in the 2024 SLASH program. Removing slash and creating a defensible space around your home is the first line of defense against wildfires, which are a consistent cause for concern in Jefferson County. You can create zones around your home, removing any fire fuels, such as tree debris, to create a properly mitigated property. This doesn’t mean that wildfire will pass you by, but it gives the fire department a better opportunity to save your home when it does happen. Great tips on how to protect your home and property can be found on the Jeffco Sheriff’s hazard mitigation page and at FireWise website. Jeffco’s CSU Extension also has a factsheet that can help homeowners plant low-flammability gardens.
SLASH – Sustainable Lands And Safer Homes — is back for 2024! The anticipated start date for the opening of the first SLASH site is May 23rd, and the program is scheduled to continue through the end of October. At the time of this writing, the location schedule has not been published, but we will advise when it’s available.
Any size truck or trailer is welcome at Jefferson County Slash Collection sites. Dump fees are based on six cubic yards (162 cubic feet) of material: six yards is one load. The cost to drop off a single load is $24. Credit cards only. This is equivalent to:
For additional clarification on what’s accepted and what’s not, or how to better calculate costs, go to https://www.jeffco.us/2493/Slash-Collection
For more information and to stay up-to-date, sign up for Alerts. It’s free, non-intrusive, and you’ll be notified of schedule changes, closures of SLASH sites, and updates to the SLASH program. Enter your email address at the top of the page, scroll down to the Alert Center section, look for Jeffco SLASH and choose the email or cell phone icon — or both — to receive alerts.
Miss Mountain Manners wants to thank everyone who will take part in the 2024 SLASH program. Removing slash and creating a defensible space around your home is the first line of defense against wildfires, which are a consistent cause for concern in Jefferson County. You can create zones around your home, removing any fire fuels, such as tree debris, to create a properly mitigated property. This doesn’t mean that wildfire will pass you by, but it gives the fire department a better opportunity to save your home when it does happen. Great tips on how to protect your home and property can be found on the Jeffco Sheriff’s hazard mitigation page and at FireWise website. Jeffco’s CSU Extension also has a factsheet that can help homeowners plant low-flammability gardens.
Ann Bonnell’s death on December 26th, 2023, at the age of 85, left a gaping hole in the heart of the Jefferson County birding community and in the hearts of her fellow PLAN Jeffco Board members.
Ann’s life was focused on family and service. As a high school biology teacher and volunteer Water Safety Instructor for those with special needs, she was able to reach into the lives of many, passing along her belief in service, empathy, and passion for the outdoors and all that it encompasses. Her specific focus, as we at PLAN Jeffco knew her, was birds – birding, leading Tuesday Birders, and teaching about bird life. Read more
EAGLE’S NEST OWL’S ROOST (ENOR) Environmental Discovery Camp of Colorado State University Extension in Jefferson County celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.
The camp began in the 1970’s and has pioneered education for over 20,000 children in 4th through 8th grade, in outdoor skills and stewardship of the local open spaces and trails. Read more
Fred Naess, 30-year Volunteer Park Patroller & PLAN Jeffco Board Member
What’s it like to be a Volunteer Park Patroller with Jeffco Open Space?
With over two dozen parks, more than 270 miles of trails and nearly 60,000 acres in the system, a Volunteer Park Patroller has many options. Once you’ve been vetted and trained as a Park Patroller, you can sign up for a specific date and time at a park of your choice, but there’s no rule that says you can’t spontaneously “stop by” a park on the way home from work. It’s unlikely you’ll see another Volunteer Patroller, except perhaps on a busy summer weekend, but if you do, there are plenty of other alternative parks to visit for a patrol, none of them very far away.
The range of park experiences is huge. Read more
(Apologies to the Five Man Electrical Band and their recording of “Signs”, circa 1970).
Signs guide us as we travel through life. Signs are part of our everyday life; they’re everywhere we look…
There are signs happy signs, announcing fun events that we may want to take part in:
Read more
Leave No Trace — do you really understand what it means? LNT is introducing a free course on the principles of Leave No Trace. Training for All calls upon people of all different backgrounds and outdoor experiences to take action by participating in Leave No Trace’s free 45-minute virtual outdoor education course. Read more
Have you seen a moose in our Open Space parks yet? If you haven’t, you may soon. Moose, which was a rarity in Colorado only 50 years ago, are now routinely sighted in Clear Creek and Jefferson Counties since their introduction in 1978 — transplants from Utah and Wyoming. The transplants have delighted in their new home state. According to biologists from Colorado Parks & Wildlife, there are an estimated 3500 moose roaming the Rockies between Red Feather Lakes and Pagosa Springs. Read more
Do you want to learn more about public lands and how to preserve them for future generations?
Join staff from PLAN Jeffco, Jefferson County Open Space, Jeffco County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper, and Colorado Senator Lisa Cutter for a riveting and fast-paced day of learning and discussion at the second annual PLAN Jeffco Stewardship Academy, a one-day seminar open to the public, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Saturday, April 29, 2023, at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden. Lunch included.
The Academy offers presentations by local experts in conservation, biodiversity, land management and stewardship, and how to advocate for open space lands. Engage with PLAN Jeffco Board members, Jeffco Open Space staff, Jeffco Commissioner Dahlkemper, Senator Lisa Cutter, and Carmela Montenegro of “Not Mad Just Misunderstood”, learn from their experiences, and enjoy meeting others who share your love of the land.
Topics include the history of Jeffco Open Space, physical and biological components of ecosystems, impacts of human population, visitor experience and trail courtesy, strategies for encouraging inclusivity, land conservation and grassroots advocacy.
There will be an optional Stewardship Day on Sunday, April 30th, at one of the Jeffco Open Space parks under the guidance of an Open Space Field Specialist.
In 1972, PLAN Jeffco launched the citizen’s initiative which created the Jeffco Open Space program, protecting from development more than 60,000 acres, comprising Open Space 27 parks.
Enrollment starts March 1 at https://tinyurl.com/ypv67yh9
Saturday, April 29, 2023, 9 AM to 4 PM
American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St., Golden CO
$17 fee, includes a one-year digital membership with PLAN Jeffco — limited scholarships available.
For more information contact:
Co*******@PL********.org
Connect to EventBrite to make your reservation,
or download this form, fill it out, and mail with your check for $17 to
PLAN Jeffco
11010 West 29th Avenue
Lakewood, CO 80215
*limited scholarship available upon request. Contact
ac*****@pl********.org
for more information.
