Take Photos, Leave Only Footprints

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Photo credit: Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Miss Mountain Manners has a question for you: have you ever heard of a “cursed rock”? One person who was gifted with a “keepsake rock” from Colorado believes that the rock is cursed. Last July, Colorado Parks and Wildlife received a handwritten letter claiming that a stolen Colorado rock, brought back as a souvenir three years ago, has been responsible for “bad things happening ever since.” The rock was included with the letter.

Whether or not you believe the legend that if you remove rocks from their natural outdoor location  you’ll bring bad luck to yourself, it’s a good idea to leave no trace when you’re in the Great Outdoors, and that includes leaving rocks where you found them. You’ll find breath-takingly beautiful rock formations in our Clear Creek Open Space Park, and thankfully, most of the rocks are far too large (and heavy) to end up in anyone’s collection. But even when you find small rocks, look at them, study them, take pleasure in their beauty, and then leave them behind for others to enjoy.

As Colorado Parks & Wildlife tweets, ““The best practice when visiting any park or wilderness is to take only photographs and leave only footprints”. Miss Mountain Manners agrees!

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/souvenir-taken-from-colorado-said-to-be-cursed/article_b98b8d3a-cb90-11ea-ad17-e3ab88678693.html

Miss Mountain Manners-PLAN Jeffco

 

Are You a “CARE” Person?

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Are you a considerate and responsible, enlightened (“CARE”) person during these times of uncertainty? Do you stay home if you don’t feel well? Do

you wear a mask outside? When visiting the beautiful parks in Jefferson County, do you stay on the trail to minimize your environmental impact? Are you considerate of other hikers and Open Space staff? Is your dog leashed? Do you pick up after it? Do you only gather to hike with those with whom you share your home? Do you refrain from short-cutting trails, even to avoid other people?

So many things to think about these days, but these are just a few requirements of the current situation. We are in a different, delicate, hopefully short-term (but possibly longer than we think) era—particularly if we shun the experts’ guidelines. It requires more awareness of our responsibilities to ourselves, others and the land we love.

Today, Jefferson County Open Space Parks are being overwhelmed by all of us seeking respite from the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and seeking exercise and relief from restrictive directives. For safety reasons there are no park volunteers to give us friendly reminders of proper behaviors, leaving the 12 full-time and 3 seasonal staff rangers the near impossible task of trying to cover 56,000 acres, and 244 miles of trails by themselves. We must each willingly embrace the responsibility of honoring the rules.  PLAN Jeffco respectfully offers these guidelines and thanks everyone, not only for following them but also for your support via the ½ cent sales tax collected for Open Space at Jeffco businesses:

* Walk close to home, enjoy your neighbors’ flowers, as well as your own.

* If you find the JCOS parking lot full, please, please move on to another park.

* Wear a mask.

* Stay on the trail whenever possible, while honoring social distances. Be careful where you step as there may be delicate new plant growth this time of the year, even snakes!

* The 6-foot social distance is in still air. If the wind is at your back, don’t walk more than 6 feet behind the person in front of you.

* To minimize interaction time consider giving downhill hikers the right-of-way.

* Step aside (find a rock or bare spot to stand on) and let equestrians pass, even if you’re on a bike.

* Observe park, trail or area closures.

* Visit at non-peak hours, such as before 10:00 AM and after 3:00 PM.

* Follow guidelines posted at trailheads.

Be a “CARE” person. 

PLAN Jeffco logo

Family hiking in a meadow of penstemmon.

The Increased Need for Open Space

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Hikers in a field of penstemmon, Jeffco Open Space

Today, Jefferson County Open Space Parks are being overwhelmed by all of us seeking respite from the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and seeking exercise and relief from restrictive directives. People are being turned away from full parking lots while our government leaders urge us to remain close to home.  With so many people passing each other on narrow sections of the trails, our required social distancing is being compromised.  This suggests maybe we should leave the car in the driveway (save gas), and just walk out the front door to streets that are wider than trails, making social distancing easier. Remember that even out in the “fresh air,” pathogens can infect when in close proximity to others. Moreover, heavy park use also presents a strong likelihood of resource damage, particularly in this transitional “mud” season. We could give our open space parks a break.

With the need for social distancing, and heavily-used parks, do you wish there was MORE open space to go around now?? Forget the current health crisis and think ahead just 10 years when projections add another 600,000 people to the current 3 million metro population. Will the current amount of open space meet our needs or will we feel as restricted and crowded as we feel now with the COVID-19 situation?  The present realities highlight the importance of open space for our physical and mental well-being. We need to encourage Jefferson County Open Space to be proactive in the promotion and financing of additional open space acquisitions to meet future needs.

For safety reasons there are no park volunteers to remind us of proper behaviors, leaving the staff rangers the near impossible task of trying to cover 56,000 acres, and 244 miles of trails by themselves. We must each take on the responsibility of honoring the rules.  PLAN Jeffco respectfully offers these guidelines and thanks everyone, not only for following them but also for your support via the ½ cent sales tax collected for Open Space at Jeffco businesses:

  • Walk close to home.
  • If you find the JCOS parking lot full, please move on to another park.
  • Wear a mask.
  • Stay on the trail whenever possible, while honoring social distances. Be careful where you step as there may be delicate new plant growth this time of the year, even snakes!
  •  Observe park, trail or area closures.
  • Take note of and avoid early plant growth.
  • Visit at non-peak hours, such as before 9:00 AM and after 2:00 PM.
  •  Follow guidelines posted at trailheads.

In general, practice the kindergarten rules: Be nice to others – and respect the land you are enjoying.

PLAN Jeffco logo

South Table Park Plan 2020

2020 Draft Trails Plan for South Table Announced

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

PUBLIC COMMENT DUE APRIL 29, email ST*@****co.us

Jefferson County Open Space will reconfigure the South Table Mountain trail system to focus on 15.6 miles, consisting of 7.1 miles of existing designated trail and 8.5 miles of new and adopted undesignated trail.

The result will be to eliminate most of the 26.9 miles of undesignated and unmarked trails that criss-cross the top of the mesa. Prominent signage will encourage people to stay only on designated trails.

For comparison, North Table Mountain has 17 trail miles on 1,998 acres and South Table Mountain will have 15.6 trail miles on 1,484 acres. The work is to be done by the Open Space trail crew this spring, summer and fall, starting with the Dome Flow and Serpentine trails on the southwest side.

The plan was published online on You Tube March 27 under the title South Table Mountain Park Plan and 2020 Actions Presentation, after a March 25 public meeting was canceled due to health concerns. Senior Planner Kristina Duff is the video presenter. The video can be accessed here or click on the picture above.

Jeffco will build an improved path to the mesa’s protected raptor habitat, which is closed to the public from Feb. 1 to July 31, after which construction can take place. This summer, work will be done to create a connection to Golden-owned property on the west end of the park. The work on the east side will take place before the end of the year. Informational kiosks have been installed at nine location where people enter the park. The public is invited to volunteer for the 2020 National Trails Day June 6 and the 2020 Land Steward Program. The public comment period is open until April 29, email comments to st*@****co.us.

PLAN Jeffco logo

North Table OS Park

Let’s not love our wonderful Jefferson County Open Space to death!!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Jefferson County Open Space Parks are open and free to all. Even though they were already extremely popular prior to the COVID-19 crisis, they are now being overwhelmed on a daily basis by all of us seeking respite from our stay-at-home orders and seeking exercise and relief from restrictive directives. Children love the freedom that the parks provide, tending to frolic and rough-house in groups.  Furthermore, with so many people passing each other on narrow sections of the

North Table OS Park

Photo courtesy of CarbonFibrePhoto

trails, our required social distancing is being compromised.  Remember that even out in the “fresh air,” pathogens can infect when in close proximity to others.  Finally, the park parking lots are overflowing—every day!

This presents a strong likelihood of resource damage: How to enjoy our open spaces, yet give the wild denizens space, and preserve it all for those to who will come in the future.

For safety reasons there are no park volunteers to remind us of proper behaviors, leaving the staff rangers the near impossible task of trying to cover 56,000 acres, and 244 miles of trails by themselves. We must each take on the responsibility of honoring the rules.  PLAN Jeffco respectfully offers these guidelines and thanks everyone, not only for following them but also for your support via the ½ cent sales tax collected for Open Space at Jeffco businesses:

*If you find the parking lot overflowing onto the neighborhood streets, please move on to another park.

*Stay on the trail whenever possible, while honoring social distances. Be careful where you step as there may be delicate new plant growth this time of the year, even snakes!

* Observe park, trail or area closures.

* Uphill foot traffic has the right-of-way, although they may step aside, since it gives them a chance to rest.

* Take note of and avoid early plant growth.

* Visit at non-peak hours, such as before 11:00 AM and after 3:00 PM.

* Observe social distancing and follow guidelines posted at trailheads.

In general, practice the kindergarten rules: Be nice to others – and respect the land you are enjoying.

 

Tunnel Number One – Here We Come!!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Concrete Express backhoe cutting in the trail.

The cut-in trail looking back towards Golden.

Work on the trails at the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon began last fall. These photos show Concrete Express cutting the base for the trail along the south side of Clear Creek, so the trail construction crew will be able to build the abutment for the bridge crossing just east of Tunnel Number One. The bridge abutments will be the next major task. Stay tuned for regular reports on how the construction is progressing.

 

PLAN Jeffco will live on in history!!!!

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s been over six months since PLAN Jeffco’s historical files were accepted into the Denver Public Library’s Western History and Genealogy Department as part of the historical record of the development of the Denver Metro Area.

This all started in 1971, when the originators of PLAN Jeffco started documenting the process of developing an open space program for Jefferson County. In addition to newspaper clippings and internal documents, PLAN Jeffco Board members collected posters and brochures and all manner of external documents from the many and varied projects they were involved in.

In time, these clippings and documents found their way into the file cabinets of three current Board members. The question then rose, what to do with them? Coincidentally, about this time, Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Department, asked if they could be included in our newsletter distribution. Long story short, PJ and DPL entered discussions about the potential for the files being included in their archives. After a visit with the Library staff in which members of the Board brought samples to show what was available, DPL agreed that the entire archive of materials would be a valuable addition to their Western History collection.

John Litz took on the herculean task of combining the collections into a single, chronological file. After sorting, purging, and arranging, the files filled six 18-inch boxes. These were delivered to the Library in late May, 2019.  The Library staff cataloged the contents, creating a Finding Aid (Index) for each year. The Finding Aids for the 47 years total 14 pages. The files were officially gifted to the Library on July 19, 2019, and are identified for perusal and research as “PLAN Jeffco Records, WH2437.”

You can see and use these materials for research; they are available to the public but must be viewed in the Western History section of the library, 5th floor.  https://history.denverlibrary.org/

2020 Open Space Conservation Awards

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Jeffco Open Space hosts an annual volunteer and partner appreciation breakfast. Several PLAN Jeffco Board members were at the Lakewood Cultural Center to help celebrate this year’s recipients.

Aspen Rookie Volunteer Award – given to a first-year volunteer who epitomizes the enthusiasm of the Open Space Volunteer Program. This year’s recipient is Ian Francescato for his extraordinary work as a Trailhead Steward.

Rocky Mountain Juniper Stewardship Award – given to 6-year volunteer Tom Ging, who works with the Real Estate Group. He has developed a protocol for scanning and cataloguing real estate documents.

Douglas Fir Partnership Award – given to Mountainsmith, https://mountainsmith.com/ Mountainsmith has had an ongoing partnership with Open Space for many years. Formed in 1979, they manufacture and sell outdoor products and offer discounts on their product line for OS staff and volunteers. They participate in volunteer trail days and sponsor events that get people into the outdoors, as well as supporting the JCOS Adventure Club for foster children.

Blue Spruce Outdoor Connections Award – given to Great Outdoors Colorado for their quarter-century partnership with JCOS. They have awarded 176 grants, $47M, to conserve 6440 acres of land in Jefferson County alone.

Gambel Oak Pioneer Award – given to Denver Mountain Parks for their pioneering spirit and preservation efforts in the early 1900s that have influenced and helped guide Jefferson County Open Space.

John Litz Award – given to Jan Wilkins for her 15 years of service on the Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee and her other volunteer efforts in the realm of open space conservation. Jan chaired the committee that pushed for the Open Space bonds in 1997-98. Following passage of the bonds measure by 74% of the voters, Jan joined OSAC, served as Vice-Chair, and helped preserve nearly 20,000 acres of Open Space lands. She served on the committees for the Party for the Parks (2013) and 2014 OS Master Plan. Said John Litz, as he was presenting the award, “The main thing about Jan is that you could always count on her to be a solid performer and do everything that she possibly could to further the effort.”

Congratulations to all the recipients!

Jan Wilkins, when she accepted her award, said: “None of this (meaning the Open Space Program) would be possible if it weren’t for everyone else.” If you’d like to get more involved with Open Space, if you’re interested in learning more about the program, the annual Volunteer Fair will be held at the JCOS Headquarters, 700 Jefferson County Pkwy, Suite 100 Golden. You can check out all volunteer positions on Thursday, 2/20, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM and again on Saturday, 2/22, from 10 AM to 1:30 PM.

https://www.jeffco.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1070

You can view the award winners at https://bit.ly/2S982aS

Mountain Area Land Trust protects two mountain properties

/0 Comments/in , /by

Mountain Area Land Trust of Evergreen announced late last year, on December 12th, that it closed on “a 154-acre Conservation Easement on the Elk Meadow Ranch at Mt. Evans!  The property is located within the historic Evans Ranch in MALT’s Upper Bear Creek Priority Area.  Vance Creek runs through a majority of this scenic property providing for excellent wildlife habitat and a healthy forest ecosystem.  Appropriately named, the Elk Meadow Ranch is home to a large herd of elk as well as black bears, mountain lions, deer and a multitude of other wildlife.  Elk Meadow Ranch is adjacent to protected lands including the Mount Evans State Wildlife Area and a number of private voluntary land agreements.”

Separately on December 18th, the land trust announced closing on “a 52-acre Conservation Easement on the slopes of Conifer Mountain.  Known as The Sanctuary on Conifer Mountain, this voluntary land agreement will protect valuable open space and wildlife habitat in perpetuity.  In addition to forested land and rock outcroppings, a seasonal creek and wetland provide for a wide range of habitats on this now-protected property.  The Sanctuary on Conifer Mountain is highly visible from Highway 285 and its protection will preserve the scenic views on this highly-traveled corridor.  Kathy Estes and Rod Morgan are longtime supporters of MALT and are ecstatic to have left a conservation legacy with the donation of this easement!”

Founded in 1992, MALT is a nonprofit organization that primarily helps facilitate the conservation-easement process for private landowners. Since inception it has protected nearly 15,000 acres in Park, Jefferson and Teller counties.

For more information see SaveTheLand.org.

Land conservation and the ability to recreate in the great outdoors is important to Coloradans. We applaud the efforts of all our partner organizations.

Jeffco to Host Brainstorming Session on Possible Reductions at Fairgrounds (updated)

/0 Comments/in , /by

Jeffco Fairgrounds - roping & riding

It takes money to operate County services, and the Jeffco Fairgrounds is indeed a County service. Unfortunately, during last year’s voting season, the residents of Jefferson County failed to approve Ballot Initiative 1A, and now the County is strapped for cash. As a result, most County services have had their budgets reduced, and the Fairgrounds is on the chopping block.

Jeffco County is holding a meeting tonight, Tuesday January 28th, at the Fairgrounds, from 6-7:30PM, to identify and consider potential options to preserve those types of activities at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. The meeting is open to the public for interested parties to attend and listen. PLAN Jeffco got 36-hour notice of the meeting so if you haven’t heard about this, you’re not alone.

If you or your group have an interest in the continued operation of the Jeffco Fairgrounds, please plan to attend. PLAN Jeffco will try to monitor the situation and keep informed.

For more about the county’s budget situation, please visit the Jefferson County website at www.jeffco.us and click on the link for the Financial Realities page.

Update 1/31/2020: the Jeffco Fairgrounds Brainstorming Session (1/28/2020), less the first 10 minutes of the meeting, can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2OjlmIF, Don Davis, County Manager and Tom Hoby, Director Open Space, moderating. The 2-hour meeting was very well-attended, with lots of input from all stakeholder groups. The end result — four options, which will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners at their weekly morning (8AM) meeting on 2/4/2020. Both Don Davis and Tom Hoby will be presenting to the BCC.

Option 1: maintain status quo (most likely not possible, given the County’s budget situation)

Option 2: more budget cuts (would mean reducing staff and services)

Option 3: close the Fairgrounds (no one wants this)

Option 4: explore a partnership with Open Space (how to do this without violating the Enabling Resolution?)

Follow the BCC meeting at https://bit.ly/2OiMV4Z. Click Video to listen to the meeting and view agenda documents, or Agenda or Minutes to see just the documents.