Park Visitors Attest to Restorative Effects of Nature

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Jeffco Open Space logoResearch points to both the mind-clearing and brain-boosting benefits of spending time outdoors. Jeffco Open Space visitors provide anecdotal evidence of the restorative effects of nature.

“Spending time in nature gives you time to think, to get ideas in your mind that, with crowds and people around you, you might not,” said Allan Reid of Arvada.

A 2012 study found that people immersed in nature for four days boosted their performance on a creative problem-solving test by 50 percent.1 The results support what Albert Einstein once said: “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.”

Dominic Dezzutti of Highlands Ranch is a believer. “Get out there in nature wherever it is,” he said, “because that’s what’s going to clear your mind, whether it’s a breeze, the sunshine or the view. You then get an idea that whatever you’re facing, you can overcome it.”

That sentiment is in keeping with 2007 findings from the University of Essex that in a group of people suffering from depression, 90 percent felt a higher level of self-esteem after a walk through a country park, and almost three-quarters felt less depressed.2

Time spent outdoors helps Jeffco Open Space visitors organize thoughts to make better choices. Said Rich Urbanowski of Lakewood, a frequent visitor to Mount Falcon Park,  “It helps me prioritize some of the things I have going in life.”

According to a 2014 Behavioral Sciences publication, “Exposure to natural environments protects people against the impact of environmental stressors and offer physiological, emotional and attention restoration more so than urban environments.”3

Of the benefit of time spent in nature, Hannah Mehsikomer of Denver puts it simply. “It’s a way to recuperate,” she said. “Everyone works too much during the week.”

1 Atchley RA, Strayer DL, Atchley P. Creativity in the wild: improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings. PLoS One 2012;7(12).

2 Peacock J, Hine R, Pretty J. Got the Blues, then Find Some Greenspace: The Mental Health Benefits of Green Exercise Activities and Green Care; University of Essex: Colchester, UK, 2007.

 3 Berto R. The role of nature in coping with psycho-physiological stress: a literature review on restorativeness. Behav Sci 2014;4(4):394-409.
Jeffco Open Space was founded as a land conservation organization in 1972 to preserve land, protect park and natural resources and provide healthy nature-based experiences. Funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax, the agency has preserved over 54,680 acres, and created 28 regional parks and 230 miles of trails in Jefferson County.

Jefferson County Public Health is committed to promoting health, preserving the environment and preventing injury and disease for the residents of Jefferson County, Colorado. For more information, call (303) 232-6301 or visit jeffco.us/public-health.

Will LebzelterJeffco Open Space logo_capra

Communications Associate

D 303-271-5961, C 720-556-3353

jeffco.us/parks

 

New Apex Park trailhead opens Thursday, 8/27

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JCOS logoDear Apex Park friends-

We are very pleased to announce that we will be opening the new trailhead area on the east side of Apex Park tomorrow.  Although a more formal grand opening will occur next month, all trailhead amenities will be open tomorrow.  The trailhead includes many new features including a new restroom with water (water fountain, bottle filler and dog watering fountain).  The trailhead also has a new improved parking area, concrete trail connection for all users and a soft surface trail for hikers.  A new kiosk will also provide information and educational information.

Please note, the temporary upper parking area and trailhead will now be closed and all access on the east side will move to the new trailhead area.

Happy Trails everyone!!

Tim

Tim Sandsmark

Lookout Region Supervisor

D 720.497.7602 C 303.916.6553

jeffco.us/parks

Join Jeffco Open Space in Celebrating National Public Lands Day

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JCOS logo
Volunteer Work Centered on Elk Meadow Park

National Public Lands Day is Saturday, September 26, and Jeffco Open Space welcomes your volunteer contributions at Elk Meadow Park in Evergreen. Volunteers will help to improve the trail that originates at the Buchanan Park Recreation Center and travels through Noble Meadow. They’ll also restore plants native to the area.

Registration is required through www.jeffcoopenspace.eventbrite.com. The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Heavy rains in 2015 have resulted in damage to the trail. As visitors have tried to avoid muddy areas, the trail has widened and braided, becoming three separate paths in some areas.

Nearly a mile of the trail, to the north of Painter’s Pause, will be improved to withstand storm damage, including a slight re-route.

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands. To learn more, visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/about.

Jeffco Open Space was founded as a land conservation organization in 1972 to preserve land, protect park and natural resources and provide healthy nature-based experiences.  Funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax, the agency has preserved over 53,000 acres and created 28 regional parks and 230 miles of trails in Jefferson County.

2014 Jeffco Open Space Annual ReportJeff Golden

Communications Assistant

303-271-5963

jeffco.us/parks

For more information or to comment on this posting, please contact Thea Rock, Communications Manager, Jeffco Open Space,

tr***@je****.us











 or 303-271-5902.

Keep ’em Cool, Prevent Heat Distress and Heatstroke in Dogs

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KeepemcoolFor immediate release – July 17, 2015

Contact:  Thea Rock, Communications Manager,

tr***@je****.us











 or 303-271-5902

As the heat of mid-summer grips Colorado, Jeffco Open Space and Jefferson County Animal Control urge park visitors to take precautions to keep dogs from suffering heat distress and heatstroke.

Through prominent signs at trailheads, videos (bit.ly/keepemcool), contacts in the field and social media, Jeffco Open Space is promoting dog safety in the dog days of summer.

Last year Park Rangers responded to 12 incidents of heat distress in dogs. Sadly, four dogs did not make it after suffering heatstroke.

Help keep dogs safe. Know how to prevent and treat overheating.

  1. Leave dogs at home when it’s hot, not in your car.

Remember, it’s probably just as hot on the trail as it is in your neighborhood, and dogs wear fur coats. Never leave dogs in the car while recreating in a park. Park Rangers and Jefferson County Animal Control have been responding to calls about this issue, which can be cited as Animal Cruelty and Neglect and constitutes a violation of state statute.

Avoid hot trails and pavement.

If you can’t hold the back of your hand on the surface of the ground for longer than a count of five or walk barefoot, it’s too hot for dogs.

  1. Prevention is the best cure.
  • Offer water frequently.
  • During the hottest part of the year, consider ending park adventures by 10 a.m. or starting after 4 p.m.
  • Dogs release heat from only a few places on their bodies. Paw pads are the only place where they sweat. Dogs also cool through their pits, the insides of their ears and their bellies. A bandana dipped in cool water feels good in those places. Wet your dog down, and when it’s safe, allow to wade on leash.
  1. The threat of heatstroke is real.

Heatstroke is dangerous to dogs and their owners. When a dog’s temperature goes too high, it may start to stumble, vomit or have diarrhea. Heatstroke starts with heat distress. Early signs of distress are:

  • Rapid panting
  • Bright red tongue
  • Increased heart rate
  • Thick, sticky saliva
  1. Treat heat distress and heatstroke immediately.

Seek shade. Give the dog cool water, and place cool, wet cloths or bandanas on feet, stomach and around its head. Fan air around the dog and get it to a veterinarian right away. Don’t use cold water or icKeepemcool2e, as this could make the situation worse.

In short, Keep ’em Cool!

Jeffco Open Space was founded as a land conservation organization in 1972 to preserve land, protect park and natural resources and provide healthy nature-based experiences.  Funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax, the agency has preserved over 53,000 acres and created 28 regional parks and 230 miles of trails in Jefferson County.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was founded in November 1859 and today serves 550,000 residents of Jefferson County with a patrolling responsibility to 189,720 residents in the unincorporated areas of the 773 square miles of the county. As chief law enforcement officer of the county, Sheriff Jeff Shrader oversees the largest full-service sheriff’s office in Colorado with 542 state certified deputies and 283 professional staff.  Additionally, about 300 volunteers support Sheriff’s operations.

Many Thanks,

Will Lebzelter, Communications Associate, jeffco.us/parks

D 303-271-5961, C 720-556-3353

Trails Talk Forum – “Know Before You Go”

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For Immediate Release:

Trails Talk Forum 2015-Apr Teaser promo graphic Jefferson County Open Space is hosting their Spring Trails Talk public forum with the theme of encouraging park visitors to “Know Before You Go”. Many of the topics center around being prepared before visiting a park, and knowing your alternatives—resulting in a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience.

This event will be held on Wednesday, April 29, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., at the American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th St, Golden, CO 80401 in the first floor conference rooms.

The topics at the Trails Talk will include the Trail Difficulty Ratings, the Annual Trails Assessment, upcoming trail projects, the Jeffco Outdoors Regional Map Series, and an update on the designated-use trails working group. Following a presentation, staff experts will be available for one-on-one questions on a variety of topics.

Jeffco Open Space was founded as a land conservation organization in 1972 to preserve land, protect park and natural resources and provide healthy nature-based experiences. We are funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax that has preserved over 53,000 acres and created 28 regional parks and 230 miles of trails in Jefferson County.

Katie Matthews, Community Relations and Marketing Coordinator

Jefferson County Open Space

303-271-5960 Direct  720-415-9173 CellTrails Talk Forum 2015-Apr flyer

www.jeffco.us/open-space

 

Michelle Poolet here, from PLAN Jeffco: for a flyer which you can print out and share with family, friends and neighbors, click on the image to download.

Save The Date, 2015 Annual Dinner

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PLAN Jeffco logo

Celebrating Land Trusts

 Honorees:

Clear Creek Land Conservancy

Colorado Open Lands

Mountain Area Land Trust

2015 Annual Dinner

Meet and chat with the county commissioners

SAVE THE DATE

Monday, Sept. 21, 2015

The Vista at Applewood Golf Course, Golden

5:30 p.m. ­­‑ cocktail social hour

Registration opens in July at www.planjeffco.org

HELP US STAY IN TOUCH: If you would like to be on our email reminder list for this and future events please contact:

Co*******@pl********.org











Download a PDF version of our PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner SAVE THE DATE announcement here.

Climbing Closure in Clear Creek Canyon Park for Raptor Resource Protection

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EagleBeginning February 15, 2015, Jeffco Open Space will implement a climbing closure in Clear Creek Canyon Park. Four crags and 12 routes used for climbing in Clear Creek Canyon Park will be closed for the protection of nesting golden eagles. This seasonal closure through July 31, 2015 will ensure compliance with the Federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

To minimize disturbance to golden eagles, the following areas will be closed: Stumbling Block, Bumbling Stock, and Skinny Legs/Blonde Formation. These crags are all within one-quarter mile and within sight of a nesting area that has a bolted climbing route directly below it. These areas are located west of tunnel one in Clear Creek Canyon.

Jeffco Open Space raptor monitoring volunteers, natural resources staff and park rangers will monitor this site and enforce the closure. If the pair of eagles does not show signs of nesting in the identified areas by May 15, 2015, the seasonal closure will be lifted so that climbing can take place in this area.

Violations of this closure may result in a fine of $100,000, imprisonment, or both. For more information on The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668c), enacted in 1940 visit: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/midwestbird/eaglepermits/bagepa.html

Jeffco Open Space was founded as a land conservation organization in 1972 to preserve land, protect park and natural resources and provide healthy nature-based experiences. We are funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax that has preserved over 53,617 acres and created 28 regional parks and 230 miles of trails in Jefferson County.

For questions or additional information contact Thea Rock,

tr***@je****.us











 or 303‐271‐5902

 

 

 

 

 

Jeffco Open Space Volunteer Recruitment Fair

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From observing wildlife and assisting visitors to bringing history to life, volunteers find many ways to contribute to Jeffco Open Space. Learn about all the opportunities by dropping in at a Volunteer Recruitment Fair on Thursday, February 12 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jeffco Open Space Administration Building, 700 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 100, Golden, CO 80401. For more info, visit http://jeffco.us/open-space/volunteer/job-descriptions/.

Many Thanks,

Will Lebzelter
Communications Associate
Jeffco Open Space
303.271.5961

A Voice for this sorely damaged Refuge Earth, a letter by Mickey Harlow

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Rocky Flats PlantI have been a resident of the City of Arvada since 1970.  My current home is located downwind from the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.  I was the Rocky Flats Coordinator for the City of Westminster, Colorado from just after the FBI raid until 2001. I worked with both then Senator Allard’s and then Congressman Udall’s staffs on language designating the former nuclear production facility into a Refuge. I know the site very well and I know contamination has been left behind.

I recently became aware that the Fish & Wildlife requested an Air Permit in July 2014, for a prescribed burn to occur in April 2015, on 701 acres in the Southern Section of the Refuge.  The permit was granted by the Air Quality Control Commission. The permit was granted under the Arsenal name as the site is managed under the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.

I am very concerned about this prescribed burn.  The 701 acre burn area is contiguous to two new housing developments that have young families and small children. Plutonium, Americium and Uranium remain in the soils in that area. The cleanup of the Site meets regulatory standards for cleanup, but this does not mean that there is no radionuclide and other contamination left in the soil.   Fish & Wildlife manages over 600 Wildlife Refuges nationwide and prescribe burns are part of their maintenance plans.   However, Rocky Flats is the only national Wildlife Refuge with residual radionuclide contamination.  Airborne radionuclide contamination in smoke is a health hazard.

A recent report of soil sampling initiated within the Woman Creek Reservoir prior to 2014 repairs found small amounts of Plutonium, Americium, Uranium and other contaminants at levels below regulatory concern. The Woman Creek Reservoir was constructed in 1995 to physically separate Standley Lake, the drinking water source for the Cities of Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster from surface water leaving the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Production Facility Site.   These analysis results are important because they show that radionuclide’s are still in the soil at the Wildlife Refuge and can be brought to the surface, by earthworms, ants and other burrowing species located at the site.

Prescribed burns are not the answer!  An integrated plan with methods for controlling plant litter and weed management to include administrative, cultural techniques (prevention), mechanical controls, biological controls and chemical controls is necessary.   The Refuge has not received Interior Department funding for proper weed and site management.

Local government entities have the expertise in their open space management staff to provide invasive weed technical support to Fish & Wildlife Site Manager David Lucas.  It is time for us all to work together find alternatives to the burn. We must become “A Voice for this sorely damaged Refuge Earth.”

Mary (Mickey) Harlow

[Editor’s note: you can read more about Rocky Flats at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant]

 

Fish & Wildlife Proposes 700 Acre Burn at Rocky Flats

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Rocky FlatsU.S. Fish & Wildlife is planning a “controlled burn” of 701 acres in the southern section of Rocky Flats. LeRoy Moore, PhD, a consultant with the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center and Boulder resident who has followed Rocky Flats for 35 years, has raised the alarm.

We first heard of this plan via Judy Dennison’s “Golden Newsletter”. Judy re-published a letter that Dr. Moore had written for the Boulder Camera, the full text of which can be found at http://www.dailycamera.com/Opinion/ci_26988064/LeRoy-Moore:-Rocky-Flats-burn-a-bad-idea

Rocky Flats, which is now a National Wildlife Refuge, is managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife. During the 40 years (1952-1989) when Rocky Flats housed a nuclear weapons plant, there were documented episodes of plutonium release, on-site and off-site. The subsequent Superfund Cleanup “stabilized” Rocky Flats by sequestering plutonium particles in the soil.

The concerns of Dr. Moore and his colleagues is that, when the soil is disturbed, as it will be by a burn of this magnitude, it will release the plutonium into the air. Aerosolized plutonium is the most dangerous form this radioactive contaminant can assume, since it’s easily inhaled by unknowing victims. And plutonium doesn’t destabilize and loose its radioactivity very quickly. From http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/plutonium.html:  “… the half–lives of plutonium isotopes tend to be relatively long: Pu-238 has a half–life of 87.7 years; Pu-239 has a half–life is 24,100 years, and Pu-240 has a half–life of 6,560 years. The decay process continues until a stable, non-radioactive element is formed.”

This week, both the Golden Transcript and the Westminster Window have picked up the news story and detailed it more completely. To read these articles, go to The Golden Transcript, http://goldentranscript.net/stories/Activists-speak-out-against-Flats-burn,175258 or The Westminster Window, http://westminsterwindow.com/stories/Activists-speak-out-against-Flats-burn,175258 . The articles quote Paula Elofsen-Gardin — a Rocky Flats activist and longtime researcher of Rocky Flats history, David Lucas — refuge manager for the Fish & Wildlife Service, Michelle Gabrioloff-Parish — resident of nearby Superior, CO, which is downwind of Rocky Flats, and Dr. Moore — former professor and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center.

Dr. Moore has created an online petition located at http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/cancel-the-prescribed?source=c.em.mt&r_by=364519.  It requests that the Fish & Wildlife Service consider cancelling the prescribed burn (scheduled for sometime in April of 2015) because of the potential for plutonium release as a result of this burn.