John Litz Award plaque 2025

Jeffco Open Space Conservation Awards 2025

/0 Comments/in , , /by
2025 Conservation Awards Ceremony - Tom Hoby, Opening Ceremonies

2025 Conservation Awards Ceremony – Tom Hoby, Opening Ceremony, January 30, 2025. Article by Vicky Gits, photo courtesy of Michelle Poolet

Volunteers are the heartbeat of the Jefferson County Open Space system. In 2024, 6,038 individuals logged 57,000 working hours. They completed 549 projects, preserved 291 acres and created 17 miles of new trails.

All this effort represented the equivalent of 31 full-time workers, said Tom Hoby, executive director, at the 2025 Conservation Awards ceremony Jan. 30 at the Lakewood Cultural Center. Read more

Take Notice — Winter Is Here!

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

A few years ago, Shaun Howard, who was the Jeffco Open Space Ranger lead at that time, wrote this post to help all Open Space Park visitors understand a little more about how to enjoy winter activities in the Parks. It’s time to republish as a reminder.

Our parks are “primitive” parks. Don’t expect the trails to be groomed for you. Make sure you have micro-spikes with you, just in case you need them. Be prepared for any type of weather, especially as you gain in elevation. Know before you go.

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.

Read more

PLAN Jeffco Monthly December 2024

/0 Comments/in , , /by

May your days be filled with peace, hope, and joy this Holiday Season and throughout the New Year. May your every wish come true; may your days be merry and bright and your evenings be cozy with contentment.

Download your copy of the December newsletter here.

 

 

 

 

Trails Through Time: A Geologist’s Guide to Jefferson County Open Space Parks

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by
Typical outcrop of 1.4 billion year old granite in Alderfer/Three Sisters Park.

Typical outcrop of 1.4 billion year old granite in Alderfer/Three Sisters Park.

This article was initially published in 2014. Between then and now, the link to the full document was lost. Thankfully, we’ve just been able to recover a copy of the document, thanks to generous efforts by the USGS. We’ve embedded the document in our own library, for safekeeping. This repost will lead you to the full story of the geologic history of Jeffco’s Open Space Parks, as they were in 2014.

Jefferson County straddles one of the most conspicuous and important geographic and geologic boundaries in western North America, the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains. To the east you can travel 1,100 miles across Great Plains and Central Lowlands before you sight the western foothills of the Appalachians. If you travel in the other direction you will cross or skirt mountain range after mountain range until you sight the Coast Range near San Francisco, more than 900 miles to the west. Many of these mountains have different ages and origins than the Colorado mountains, but they are all part of the great mountain belt called the North American Cordillera that extends along the western edge of the continent from Alaska through Mexico. Read more

PJ Monthly Nov24 thumbnail

PLAN Jeffco Monthly November 2024

/0 Comments/in , , /by

PJ Monthly Nov24 thumbnail

Join Us in Celebrating as we mark one year of the PLAN Jeffco Monthly. We invite you to reflect on the importance of community engagement in enhancing the quality of life in Jefferson County. Your participation plays a crucial role in our advocacy for open spaces, and we appreciate your commitment to preserving the environment. Together, we can continue to foster a deep connection with nature and encourage others to enjoy the diverse parks and recreational opportunities our county has to offer. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us!

Download your copy of the November newsletter here.

Furred, feathered & finned critters that are protected by conservation easements

Conservation Easements Preserve Open Lands, Protect Wildlife

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

Furred, feathered & finned critters that are protected by conservation easementsIn 1971, Carol Karlin conceived of the idea of buying large swaths of scenic mountain property to protect it from development and build trails for public recreation. Shortly thereafter, PLAN Jeffco was formed, and months later, the Jeffco Open Space program was voted into reality. Read the full story here.

Since that time, nearly 58,000 acres have been purchased by Jeffco Open Space, lands that have become Open Space Parks and that have been incorporated into local city and park & recreation district trails and playgrounds. But purchasing lands is not the only way to preserve open space.

Conservation easements, voluntary, legal agreements that permanently limit uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values, are instruments that have protected and preserved some 2.7 million acres in Colorado alone, a number that represents over 6% of private lands in the State. Read more

Remembering the Founders – Carol Karlin

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

The Woman of the Living Room Legacy

By Vicky Gits and Bette Seeland

Karlin is credited with launching PLAN Jeffco and the open space movement in 1971 from her Lakewood living room along with a gathering of members of the League of Women Voters and others.

Without the vision and genius of Carol Karlin the Jefferson County Open Space system might never have become reality.

Thanks to Karlin’s idea of scooping up cheap acreage for posterity, the Front Range enjoys a generous portfolio of trails and parks owned and maintained in perpetuity by the residents of and visitors to Jefferson County who pay a half-cent sales tax.

This explains why there is a charming outdoor seating nook framed in pinon and boulders in a distant corner of Elk Meadow Park in Evergreen. Established sometime around 2008, the site is marked with the sign that says, “Carol Karlin Overlook.” Read more

HISTORICAL versus CONTEMPORARY WILDFIRES

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

Wildfires in the mountain west have become less frequent but more intense.

Recently, the Denver Gazette published a short article on current research comparing historical versus contemporary wildfires in the America Southwest, with (to this reader) some rather surprising results.

The areas investigated in this study were primarily dry conifer forests dominated by Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, very similar to our own forests in the Jeffco Front Range. Prior to 1880, wildfires used to sweep through these forests every 10 to 12 years. These were almost entirely low-to-moderate intensity fires that cleared out undergrowth and forest duff, burning off the lower limbs of the trees, but not devastating enough to kill the trees themselves. Typically, these low-intensity burns involved smaller areas, 5 to 250 acres. Despite the small size of these wildfires, the frequency and style of these fires were able to maintain forest health, even during prolonged periods of drought, when fires were started by lightning strikes and/or Indigenous forest stewardship events. Read more

PLAN Jeffco Monthly October 2024

/0 Comments/in , , /by
Apex Open Space Park, the Enchanted Forest Trail with hikers on a misty morning

Apex Open Space Park, the Enchanted Forest Trail

Join us at the Apex Enchanted Forest Trail as we celebrate the beauty of autumn! With warm days and cool nights, it’s the perfect time to explore Jeffco Open Space Parks. Our parks are open for your enjoyment, so don’t miss out on the chance to engage with nature. We invite you to participate in the 2024 JeffCo Open Space Survey to share your thoughts on park improvements. The October #PLANJeffcoMonthly is now available! Let’s work together to preserve our beautiful open spaces! #JeffcoOpenSpace #HikingAdventures #NatureConservation #CommunityEngagement #FallHiking

Download your copy of the October 2024 newsletter here