In a seven to zero unanimous decision, last night the Jeffco Planning Commission denied Resolution 23-102980RZ, the Special Use request from the Shadow Mountain Bike Park.
If you’ve been following this development, or if you’re an avid downhill mountain biker, then you’re already aware of the decision – but for everyone else, here’s a bit of background and why the request was denied… Read more
On Tuesday, April 11th, 2023, a joint effort between Jeffco Open Space, The Conservation Fund, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and Great Outdoors Colorado came to fruition with the conservation of some 2,000 acres within the Mount Tom Conservation Corridor area. This swath of land is located adjacent to the Ralston Creek State Wildlife Area, northwest of Denver and Golden.
The Mount Tom Conservation Corridor is comprised of fee-owned and conservation easements. It connects to other previously conserved areas, extending in a landscape-wide manner the natural resources for wildlife and Colorado communities while protecting floral and faunal species of special concern, as well as endangered species that live in this area, plus a critical watershed, the headwaters of Van Bibber Creek, a tributary of the South Platte River. The area is not yet open to the public, but following intensive monitoring, investigation and inventory of the future preserve, access for outdoor recreation for the publicly-owned sections are planned.
To read the entire press release, go to the JCOS News Flash here.
Another success for land acquisition! Let’s hear it for this quorum of conservation organizations — many thanks to all the fine folk who worked so long and so hard to make this happen.
PLAN Jeffco started with an idea that open spaces are vitally important to the health and welfare of all, and since 1972 has been building on that idea. Time brings change, and so PLAN Jeffco has had to consistently adjust as change occurs.
PLAN Jeffco tries to keep its thumb on the pulse of the conservation community. Every month, as part of our regular Board meetings, there’s a “President’s Report”, which records the activities of various conservation groups that PLAN Jeffco feels are community leaders. We’ve decided to share as much of this information with you, dear reader, as we can, so that you can understand where we’re going, and why.
2020-2025 Conservation Greenprint – September 2022
Open Space Update – August 2022
https://www.jeffco.us/1523/News-Events
Know before you go! Check these sites for additional information on Park and Trail closures, openings, and other operations that may impact your Jeffco Open Space Park experience…
https://www.jeffco.us/calendar.aspx?CID=27
Denver Area Mineral Dealers Gem & Mineral Show, Exhibit Halls, November 18th & 19th, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, November 20th, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Summit School of Chess Youth Chess Tournament, Exhibit Halls, December 3, 2022, 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Westernaires Holiday Party, Exhibit Halls, December 11, 2022, 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM
4-H Ring Rides, Event Center, December 13, 2022, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Convenience Pet Hospitals’ Golden Holiday Pet Bazaar, Exhibit Halls 1 & 2, December 17 & 18, 2022, 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
…and much more. Please check the Fairgrounds website calendar for detailed information for these events.
https://coloradoopenlands.org/ https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoOpenLands
Arkansas River Community Preserve in southern Lake County adds 100 acres, thanks to a decade-plus collaboration between Central Colorado Conservancy, Lake County, Colorado Open Lands, funders and other partners. The ARC Preserve protects important wetlands and wildlife habitat for bighorn sheep, elk, beaver, and many bird species. The public will be able to access the area in about a year to hike, fish, and more.
Big Country Ranch, 698 acres in Grand County, connects a portion of Arapahoe National Forest to large swaths of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and other private conservation easements. The property is a known winter range for elk, and habitat for Columbian Sharp-tailed grouse, bighorn sheep, black bear, pronghorn, mule deer, and numerous songbirds, raptors, small mammals, amphibians and lizards. Wetlands and several small ponds and a reservoir provide additional habitat value. The water rights are tied to the land with the easement as well. The Grand County Open Space, Rivers, and Trails program was a project partner.
Big Bend Pasture, located in the upper Tomichi Creek Valley, east of the City of Gunnison, is part of the Irby Ranch cattle and hay operation. The property, which provides summer and fall grazing ground for the family’s cattle, consists of irrigated meadows, sagebrush shrublands, subalpine forest, and ¾-mile of frontage along Big Bend Creek and 1.75 miles of frontage along Marshall Creek. The property is habitat for bald eagle, ferruginous hawk, greater sandhill crane, northern leopard frog, bighorn sheep, black bear, elk, moose, mountain lion and mule deer. It was the largest previously unprotected private property in the Marshall Creek drainage. This project was completed in partnership with Trust for Public Land.
https://www.savetheland.org/ https://www.facebook.com/MountainAreaLandTrustCO/
November 2, 2022: MALT has closed on a conservation easement in Boulder County. This 12-acre property is located west of Boulder, along Sunshine Canyon Drive. This CE is a connector between Boulder County Open Space and BLM lands. It ensures that scenic views of the Bighorn Mountain Natural Landmark are permanently protected, and is recognized by Colorado Parks and Wildlife as habitat for many large mammals, including mule deer, elk, black bear and mountain lion.
November 4, 2022: MALT, Keep It Colorado and Park County Land and Water Trust Fund have joined forces to enable the Sacramento Preserve Conservation Easement, 56.5-acres in Park County near the town of Fairplay. This area features a rich riparian and wetlands habitat, beaver ponds, wildlife and a small cabin. The owners, Tri-Walk LLC, Lynn Grams and Christine Smith, wish to preserve their families’ legacy with this Conservation Easement.
Our mission is to unite, elevate and empower Colorado’s conservation community to protect the lands and waters that define our state.
Great Podcasts to Check Out https://www.keepitco.org/podcasts
Colorado Open Space Alliance (COSA)
https://landtrustalliance.org/land-trusts (to search for a specific land trust organization)
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
Do you have questions about the County Climate Action Plan? Meetings, members and resources? Sustainability awards and the Sustainability Foundation? Find out more at https://www.jeffco.us/3406/Sustainability-Commission
Confused about COVID? Find out the latest alerts, recommendations and requirements at https://www.jeffco.us/3999/Coronavirus-Disease-2019-COVID-19
Park Hill golf course’s redevelopment just got a step closer to reality. But the deal is far from done If Westside redevelops the Park Hill golf course, a long-desired grocery store in Northeast Park Hill is not guaranteed. https://denverite.com/2022/10/20/park-hill-golf-course-redevelopment/
To get more information on the Protect The Hogback group, go to https://www.protectthehogback.com/
https://www.denverwater.org/grossreservoir
10/01/2022 – Boating season at Gross Reservoir has ended for 2022. There is no on-water recreation between Oct. 1 and May 26. Other recreation activities, including hiking, fishing and picnicking, are permitted year-round, sunrise to sunset. Click here for additional information about recreation at Gross Reservoir.
How to buy a San Luis Valley reservoir. A local water district, a federal land agency, a state wildlife group and a national environmental nonprofit partnered on a creative water deal with multiple benefits for the valley. https://coloradosun.com/2022/11/02/shaw-reservoir-new-owners/?mc_cid=21b1b3f453&mc_eid=7396f15ef3
The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was updated in December 2020. The plan in its entirety is posted at this link: https://foothillsfire.colorado.gov/cwpp
And there you have it. This is part of what we do, who we follow, what we’re interested in, because Conservation just doesn’t happen by itself…it takes a community to make it work. And as always, stay well, stay safe, be conservation-minded at all times.
PLAN Jeffco started with an idea that open spaces are vitally important to the health and welfare of all, and since 1972 has been building on that idea. Time brings change, and so PLAN Jeffco has had to consistently adjust as change occurs.
PLAN Jeffco tries to keep its thumb on the pulse of the conservation community. Every month, as part of our regular Board meetings, there’s a “President’s Report”, which records the activities of various conservation groups that PLAN Jeffco feels are community leaders. We’ve decided to share as much of this information with you, dear reader, as we can, so that you can understand where we’re going, and why.
https://www.jeffco.us/1523/News-Events
NOTE: Despite information on various hiking and trails apps, the trails at Meyer Ranch OS Park are NOT scheduled be closed on the weekends during forestry and wildfire mitigation operations unless specifically posted at this website…
JCOS News Releases: https://www.jeffco.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=25
JCOS Event Calendar: https://www.jeffco.us/1541/Event-Calendar Read more
PLAN Jeffco started with an idea that open spaces are vitally important to the health and welfare of all, and since 1972 has been building on that idea. Time brings change, and so PLAN Jeffco has had to consistently adjust as change occurs.
PLAN Jeffco tries to keep its thumb on the pulse of the conservation community. Every month, as part of our regular Board meetings, there’s a “President’s Report”, which records the activities of various conservation groups that PLAN Jeffco feels are community leaders. We’ve decided to share as much of this information with you, dear reader, as we can, so that you can understand where we’re going, and why.
Aspen Grove in Autumn, photo courtesy of Peter Morales, PLAN Jeffco Co-President
https://planjeffco.org/2021/09/07/sylvia-brockner-1919-2021-in-memoriam/
https://planjeffco.org/2021/08/31/open-space-update-aug-2021/
https://planjeffco.org/2021/08/31/conservation-smart-brief-8-26-2021-2/
Sept 25th (Saturday), National Public Lands Day Volunteer Project Spend the day giving back to your public lands by volunteering with Jeffco Open Space and The City of Wheat Ridge to clean up Clear Creek and Peaks to Plains Trails. Join us along Clear Creek Trail near the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt to help with trash cleanup, vegetation trimming, noxious weed removal, planting and seeding, beaver tree painting, gold panning mitigation, and graffiti removal in the Golden Cliffs climbing area. End the day with a celebration at Anderson Park, FREE FOOD & FUN!
Sept 25th (Saturday), Fall Colors Enjoy a late afternoon walk with a Native Plant Master along easy trails. Discover the importance of our native plants to wildlife and humans while strolling through fall colors. Geared for ages 13+.
Oct 7th (Thursday) Open Space Advisory Committee Meeting
Parks & Trails Current Alerts – Know before you go!
https://www.jeffco.us/calendar.aspx?CID=27
COVID-19 Testing September 22-25, and 27-30, 7AM – 5PM @ Campground More Details
JCPH Vaccine Clinic September 22, 23, 29, 30, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM @ Parking Lot – Rodeo Arena More Details
Safety in Faith Summit September 23, 2021, 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM @ Exhibit Halls 1, 2, 3, North & South Kitchen, More Details
Transportation & Construction GIRL Day September 28, 2021, 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM @ Exhibit Halls and Parking Lots
Posted September 14th on FB: These moose [mom and twins] were spotted this weekend at Kenosha Pass! As you embark on your leaf-peeping trips this autumn, keep in mind that much of the expansive view into the valley floor from the top of Kenosha Pass is preserved forever with land conservation work by COL! https://fb.watch/8ble2uvLFF/
Posted September 13th on FB: TL Bar Ranch conserved in perpetuity. The 9,111-acre TL Bar Ranch property is located in San Miguel County, about 18 miles northwest of Telluride and 8 miles south of Norwood. This productive agricultural ranch includes sagebrush rangelands, irrigated meadows, aspen and pine forests, and also includes over four miles of local creek frontage. The scenic values are phenomenal, heightened by the abutting U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands and conserved private property. … Homesteaded as early as 1894, the ranch has been a productive commercial livestock operation since that time. From the 1920s under her passing in 1979, much of the ranch was owned by Marie Scott, as part of her 100,000-acre ranch operation stretching from Ridgway to Utah. This project was completed in partnership with Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Event: For Love Of The Land, Thursday evening 10/14/21. Location: Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Keynote Speaker will be Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and former VP/Chief Curator of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. For more information and ticket purchase go to https://coloradoopenlands.org/the-q-for-conservation/.
Posted 9/08/21: Job Opening – Stewardship Director. The Stewardship Director will coordinate the management of MALT’s four Fee Title Properties. In addition, the Director will coordinate and direct all stewardship activities for the 80 plus conservation easements held by MALT and assist the Land and Water Conservation Director with the development of conservation easements and public projects. Details and how to apply, https://savetheland.org/jobs-opportunities/
Report published August 2021: This month Keep It Colorado and the Land Trust Alliance published a study about a pilot initiative Keep It Colorado launched last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study outlines in-depth 12 land trusts’ use of remote sensing technologies, such as satellite imagery, to remotely monitor properties as an alternative to in-person monitoring in 2020. Through focus groups, surveys and interviews with the participating land trusts, we discovered that by and large, remote technologies help reduce the costs, personnel hours and carbon emissions typically associated with observing and documenting changes to conserved landscapes. We were thrilled to be able to offer this pilot program to our members. Many thanks to Great Outdoors Colorado and the Gates Family Foundation for generously funding Keep It Colorado’s regrant program – which enabled us to offer $205,000 in grants to our land trusts!
2021 summer regional meetings: Coming together for conservation: As we mentioned in last month’s The Source, this summer Keep It Colorado staff have had the tremendous opportunity to travel around the state to convene with our members face-to-face. These regional meetings were packed with conversation, learning and sharing, as well as some social time and visits to conservation projects. We capped off the regional meeting season with a virtual gathering for those who were unable to travel. In all, 86 individuals attended, representing 30 of our member organizations from across the state. We had the distinct pleasure of welcoming GOCO’s new regional officers to these meetings as well – thanks for your ongoing support, GOCO!
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Our coalition members conserve and steward thousands of acres of land across the state. Each month we’ll celebrate this work by featuring 1-2 completed projects.
Slumgullion Center: At the toe of an earthflow
Working in partnership, Colorado Open Lands (COL) and the Lake Fork Valley Conservancy (LFVC), have permanently protected the Slumgullion Center property in Hinsdale County, between Lake San Cristobal and Lake City. This 58-acre property owned by LFVC comprises the toe of the Slumgullion Earthflow, an active landslide that moves as fast as seven meters per year on the most active portions. It’s been slowly flowing down the mountainside for twelve hundred years! The unique name, “Slumgullion,” comes from miners that used to live in the area. They said that the distinctive colors in the rocky debris looked just like the stews they fed themselves, which contained anything and everything they had in the kitchen at any one time.
Event October 13th: Fall Policy Summit in partnership with Colorado Open Space Alliance (COSA)’s annual conference in Vail, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1300 Westhaven Drive, Vail, Colorado. The Keep It Colorado policy summit will be on Day 3 of COSA, Wed. Oct. 13. Note that we’re currently planning this event to be in-person, and will also be offering the option to attend virtually. As COVID infections continue to surge, we recognize a need to stay flexible, so will be closely monitoring state and local guidelines around vaccinations, masks and social distancing, and will be prepared to make adjustments as needed over the coming months. In the meantime, we hope you’ll plan to attend this important annual convening!
Land Trust Alliance’s annual Rally conference is taking place virtually again this year, Oct. 5-7. Below are just a few planned topics. Learn more and register at www.alliancerally.org.
AVLT Closes on Purchase of 141-acre Coffman Ranch near Carbondale, Pitkin County to hold the conservation easement. (8/31/2021, The Aspen Times) The Coffman Ranch is located 1.5 miles east of Carbondale, along the Roaring Fork River. Rex and Jo Coffman have owned the ranch since the 1950s. Now in their 90s, they agreed to transfer the ranch to the Aspen Valley Land Trust, with life rights to stay in residence. Funding support came from Great Outdoors Colorado, Pitkin County, Garfield County, the town of Carbondale, River Valley Ranch’s Open Space Fund (held by AVLT) and numerous individual contributions. AVLT is launching a $7M public capital campaign, funds to be used over the next few years to invest in land management, restoration, regenerative agriculture, public access, and outdoor education – space for local schools and nonprofits to teach about ranching and conservation, as well as quiet open space close to town for the public to use. The ranch will become a permanent home for the nonprofit organization.
Maintaining a united front in Congress: Partnership for Conservation, a group also known as P4C, has hired public relations firms to recruit conservationists to work in opposition to the Charitable Conservation Easement Program Integrity Act, legislation pending in Congress that is strongly endorsed by the Land Trust Alliance. This critical legislation would effectively halt abuse of the federal conservation easement tax incentive and may be considered by Congress in the coming weeks. Partnership for Conservation may appear to have a name and goals that are compatible with our community. However, its federal policy agenda is at odds with that of the Alliance and our members. If you have been or are approached by P4C or someone representing P4C interests, please immediately email
po****@lt*.org
. We all have a role to play in protecting the integrity of this important conservation program.
Barr Lake State Park banding station: Visit our Bird Banding Station for an up close and personal experience with birds! You will have a unique opportunity to experience science in action and observe a wildlife biologist banding and collecting important scientific data on live, migrating birds. You will also learn about specialized bird adaptations and behavior, annual migration, crucial habitat requirements, and key conservation issues. Bird banding data increases our knowledge and understanding of birds and is often utilized in management and conservation projects! The Banding Station is open from August 28th – October 23rd, 2021 and one hour programs are available Tuesdays – Fridays from 7:30-8:30a, and Saturday-Sunday from 8-9a, 9-10a, and 10-11a (closed Mondays). Registration is required for all timeslots and is $6/participant. Click Here To Register
https://www.jeffco.us/3406/Sustainability-Commission
https://www.jeffco.us/3999/Coronavirus-Disease-2019-COVID-19
Highlander Monthly September 2021: Gross Dam Expansion Update – Last September (2020), Denver Water submitted an Areas and Activities of State Interest (1041) application to Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting (CPP) for its Gross Reservoir Expansion project. Since that time, CPP requested additional information from Denver Water. On June 29, 2021, the CPP Director acknowledged Denver Water’s intent to not provide additional requested information, and determined the 1041 review will move to public hearings. Denver Water filed a lawsuit against the county in July 2021. The lawsuit alleges that the county does not have the authority to regulate the project because the project requires a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Because of the lawsuit, on July 26, Denver Water’s attorney requested that the CPP Director place the 1041 application on hold, and CPP Director Dale Case granted the request the next day, July 27. Consequently, public hearings that were set for August and September have been canceled.
Denver Post, Sunday 9/19/2021 – From Western Slope to Eastern Plains, Colorado agriculture under pressure to adapt to warming world. Cutbacks in herd size, irrigation, wildfires, dried-up ponds: Farmers, ranchers experiencing the impacts of climate change. https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/19/colorado-agriculture-grapples-with-climate-change/
SLASH Collection: September 25-26 @ Jeffco Shaffer’s Crossing Road & Bridge Shop
SLASH Collection: October 2-3 @ Beaver Ranch Park
SLASH Collection: October 9-10 @ Beaver Ranch Park
SLASH Collection: October 16-17 @ Mount Vernon Country Club
SLASH Collection: October 23-24 @ Jeffco South Road & Bridge Shop
SLASH Collection: October 30-31 @ Thunder Valley
The following conservation organizations now have RSS feeds at the bottom of each of our own PLANJeffco web pages, so you can follow their postings at any time…
Douglas Land Conservancy, https://douglaslandconservancy.org/
Land Trust Alliance, www.lta.org
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, https://www.birdconservancy.org/
And there you have it. This is part of what we do, who we follow, what we’re interested in, because Conservation just doesn’t happen by itself…it takes a community to make it work. And as always, stay well, stay safe, be conservation-minded at all times.
PLAN Jeffco started with an idea that open spaces are vitally important to the health and welfare of all, and since 1972 has been building on that idea. Time brings change, and so PLAN Jeffco has had to consistently adjust as change occurs.
PLAN Jeffco tries to keep its thumb on the pulse of the conservation community. Every month, as part of our regular Board meetings, there’s a “President’s Report”, which records the activities of various conservation groups that PLAN Jeffco feels are community leaders. We’ve decided to share as much of this information with you, dear reader, as we can, so that you can understand where we’re going, and why.
https://planjeffco.org/2021/07/29/open-space-update-july-2021
https://planjeffco.org/2021/08/11/dog-on-leash-its-so-important/
https://planjeffco.org/2021/08/20/theres-a-new-trail-in-town/
Wednesday 8/25, 4-6:30 PM. First parking lot, south side of 6th Avenue, just west of the intersection of 6th and Hwy-93. Following the cable-cutting, the Gateway Segment will be open to the public.
https://www.jeffco.us/calendar.aspx?CID=27
Open for COVID testing. Events: CNGA Buyers Expo 8/28; Westernaires White Olympics Specialty Teams Show 8.29; Westernaires Tenderfoot Graduation 9/2; 4-H Ring Rides 9/9; Westernaires Junior Graduation 9/10; Honey Harvesting 9/11; 4-H Ring Rides 9/14; Westernaires Ticket Rally 9/15; Golden View Classical Academy Back to School Picnic 9/18; Safety in Faith Summit 9/23; 4-H Level Rating Day 9/25; Transportation & Construction GIRL Day 9/28.
Event: For Love Of The Land, Thursday evening 10/14/21. Location: Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Keynote Speaker will be Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and former VP/Chief Curator of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. For more information and ticket purchase go to https://coloradoopenlands.org/the-q-for-conservation/.
Posted 7/27 on FB: 146 Acres in Costilla County PROTECTED!
Colorado Open Lands is happy to report that another 146 acres in Costilla County have been permanently protected! The Quintana Ranch gets its water from 3 acequias: the San Acacio, Island, and Francisco Sanchez. The protection of the Quintana Ranch is part of Colorado Open Land’s Acequia Initiative, which aims to conserve Colorado’s oldest agricultural community, keeping its unique acequia water rights intact to support its rich ecological and cultural heritage. The Ranch supports a modest cattle operation that is moved out in the spring and summer when the family hays the property. Cattle are not the only animals to spend time on the Ranch – many species utilize this critical wildlife corridor as they travel to and from the mountains in the spring and winter. Conservation of this property also protects the cultural fabric of acequia usage, local agriculture, a critical wildlife corridor, and the amazing viewsheds that exist within the acequia community.
Funding for the conservation easement came from the NRCS, GOCO, LOR Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, the Trinchera Blanca Foundation, and the Colorado Conservation Partnership. These partners have embraced COL’s conservation vision for the community and have been instrumental in funding the acequia work.
Want to learn more about acequias? Watch our brief video on COL’s work with acequias in the San Luis Valley (https://fb.watch/6VsZchz8vd/) or read more in our Spring Newsletter, pages 6 – 9 (https://wp.me/a69QVo-8Aj).
Posted 7/30 on FB: 58 additional acres in Lake County PROTECTED!
Colorado Open Lands, in partnership with the Central Colorado Conservancy and Lake County, has permanently protected an additional 58 acres of the Shawn Andrick Memorial Preserve in southern Lake County. This brings the Preserve to a total of 161.2 acres, showcasing 2 beautiful miles of the Arkansas River, which is a gold-medal trout fishery, and providing habitat for Bighorn sheep, elk, & beaver. Following a management planning process over the next year, the property will open to the public in 2022.
Posted 8/05 on FB:
What better combination than conservation and beer? Our friends at Root Shoot Malting are hosting an online auction to support Colorado’s agricultural and working lands, AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT TO BID! Proceeds from this auction will help make possible the conservation work between Colorado Open Lands and Olander Farms, who specialize in cultivating the highest quality local grain and craft malt available to the brewing and distilling industries. Check out the auction today!
Posted 8/06 on FB:
Colorado Open Lands recently worked with 5280 Magazine to feature two incredible families, both conservation partners working with COL: the Olanders of Root Shoot Malting and the Rices of Jodar Farms through Poudre Valley Community Farms. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/6zv83mvv.
Posted 8/12 on FB:
Enjoy a time lapse video of our Riparian Reconnect restoration team installing a treatment on a Park County stream. This treatment mimics natural processes that help slow down the stream and spread out the water to support nearby wetlands and the wildlife that depend on them. https://fb.watch/7zAH4nNm7Y/
Posted 8/17 on FB: Slumgullion Center permanently conserved!
COL, in partnership with the Lake Fork Valley Conservancy (LFVC), has permanently protected the Slumgullion Center property in Hinsdale County, between Lake San Cristobal and Lake City. This 58-acre property owned by LFVC comprises the toe of the Slumgullion Earthflow, an active landslide that moves as fast as 7 meters per year on the most active portions. It’s been slowly flowing down the mountainside for twelve hundred years!
The earthflow is recognized by scientists and government agencies as a site rich in research opportunity and of high conservation importance. Additionally, the Slumgullion Center property includes Lake Fork of the Gunnison River frontage and unique forest assemblages, as well as habitat for bald eagles, bighorn sheep, black bear, elk, mule deer, moose, and mountain lion. It’s also designated as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association, and is visible from the Silver Thread National Scenic Byway and the Alpine Loop Colorado Scenic Byway.
Lake Fork Valley Conservancy intends to provide limited public access for passive recreation and education in the future. Their mission is to facilitate long term environmental sustainability in the Lake Fork of the Gunnison valley through collaborative and sustainable actions that foster land conservation, ecosystem health, and community resiliency.
The unique name, “Slumgullion,” comes from miners that used to live in the area. They said that the distinctive colors in the rocky debris looked just like the stews they fed themselves, which contained anything and everything they had in the kitchen at any one time.
Posted 7/28/2021: MALT received a generous grant through Great Outdoors Colorado – GOCO and the Colorado Youth Corps Association to support funding for outdoor recreation, stewardship and restoration projects at MALT’s property at Sacramento Creek Ranch near Fairplay. This collaborative project was recently completed by conservation service corps members. The goal of these funds is to employ youth and young adults (ages 14-25) throughout the state on critical outdoor recreation and natural resource stewardship projects using the network of conservation service corps accredited by Colorado Youth Corps Association.
Youth crews and chainsaw crew members from the Southwest Conservation Corps spent two weeks in July camping and working at Sacramento Creek Ranch. They completed a number of stewardship and trail projects on the property including removing and rebuilding beaver dams near the property’s bridge, weeding and bagging invasive weeds on the trail corridor and clearing downed and hazardous trees.
Generous funders and partners on this project: Great Outdoors Colorado, Colorado Youth Corps Association, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, South Park National Heritage Area, The Summit Foundation, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.
Posted 7/29 on FB:
The Southwest Conservation Corps completed a number of projects at MALT’s property at Sacramento Creek Ranch over the past two weeks. Huge thank you for all the hard work! Grateful thanks to Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund for financial support for the MALT Youth Corps project. Learn more, https://conta.cc/3ygLTLF
Keep It Colorado and the Land Trust Alliance partnered to publish a new study, “Remote Monitoring Technologies for Colorado Land Trusts.” The report outlines the experiences of 12 of our member land trusts that used remote sensing technologies – such as satellite and aerial imagery – to remotely monitor properties during the pandemic in 2020. In all, these land trusts monitored over 1,608,000 acres using these technologies.
A few interesting outcomes highlighted in the report include:
Seven of the 10 land trusts that provided cost data reported spending less money by using remote monitoring methods than they had when monitoring in-person the year before.
A conservation vision for the Arkansas Basin
A few of our members in the Arkansas Basin region have started a new kind of collaboration – the Arkansas Basin Conservation Alliance (ABCA) – with the intent to create a shared conservation vision for the region, explore new ways to work together and strategize on projects.
Over the past year, Keep It Colorado has facilitated conversations and provided a space where ABCA members could brainstorm collaborations, identify common priorities, and identify gaps and obstacles to making their vision happen. Based on their input, we’ve created a case statement that tells the story of conservation in the Arkansas Basin, with a goal of attracting additional investments in conservation across the region.
We’re pleased to say that the case statement is now published! In addition to having a new resource, ABCA members can share with funders and partners, the process itself has served as a useful blueprint for Keep It Colorado’s statewide private lands conservation plan and the listening tours we’ll be scheduling to collect member input from across the state.
In-person regional meetings: It’s a wrap
Keep It Colorado staff have had the enormous pleasure of traveling across the state this summer to visit with our members in person. In total, 70 members have joined us for meetings in Golden, Salida, Carbondale and Montrose. It’s been an incredible opportunity to hear from all of you about your organizations’ conservation priorities, organizational priorities, challenges and opportunities – and we enjoyed the chance to share some of our updates as well.
For us, the best part about these meetings was getting to connect with folks in person (it’s been a long time coming!). We also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get out on the land, visit some conserved properties and learn first-hand how this work is impacting local communities. A huge thank-you to all who participated!
Last but not least, we extend a special thanks to our members that organized tours and visits: Jefferson County Open Space, Central Colorado Conservancy, Aspen Valley Land Trust and Colorado West Land Trust.
Register now for Fall Policy Summit
We’re pleased to host our annual Fall Policy Summit in partnership with Colorado Open Space Alliance (COSA)’s annual conference in Vail! Please read below for special registration options for our members.
Date, time and location: Wed., Oct. 13
7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1300 Westhaven Drive, Vail, Coloradofund
Note that we’re currently planning this event to be in-person, and will also be offering the option to attend virtually. As COVID infections continue to surge, we recognize a need to stay flexible, so will be closely monitoring state and local guidelines around vaccinations, masks and social distancing, and will be prepared to make adjustments as needed over the coming months. In the meantime, we hope you’ll plan to attend this important annual convening.
Registration is now open. The Fall Policy Summit is FREE for all members of Keep It Colorado – you must use our special promo code to register. Additionally, for our non-open space agency members (i.e. land trusts and conservation champions), COSA is offering discounted registration to the rest of COSA Oct. 11-12. Early pricing ends Aug. 31.
Learn more, get the promo code, and get the link to register here.
Funding Opportunities
In September, Keep It Colorado will launch Round 2 of our regrant program, the Transaction Cost Assistance Program (TCAP), for member organizations that have identified ready-to-go conservation projects that will ideally be ready to close by the end of March 2022. This program assists conservation easement holders in covering the costs of transactions associated with conservation easements – enabling landowners who have “ready-to-go” opportunities to conserve their properties, but who face financial barriers to facilitating the transaction, to conserve more land more quickly.
Here’s the fall cycle calendar:
RFP Posted – Mon., September 20
Proposal Deadline – Thurs., October 14
Proposal Review Period – Mon., October 18-Fri., October 29
Grant Awards – Mon., November 1
Earliest Award Payments – Mid to late November
In the meantime feel free to check out these materials:
Transaction Cost Assistance Program Outline
Frequently Asked Questions [NEW]
Last spring, Keep It Colorado re-granted $269,900 to land trusts that plan to close conservation projects this fall. Those projects are expected to help conserve more than 3,800 acres of land and leverage more than $1.7 million in tax credits through the state’s conservation easement tax credit program. We’re excited to continue the momentum of this unique and innovative program for our members!
Stewardship projects in 2022
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) is now accepting project applications for its 2022 volunteer season. VOC offers nearly 40 years of experience in outdoor stewardship project management, working effectively to mobilize volunteers of all ages in accomplishing landscape-scale challenges.
It welcomes both new and returning partners interested in leveraging prepared, skilled volunteers in fulfilling on-the-ground project deliverables while building broad support for Colorado’s lands and waterways.
VOC is encouraging applicants to apply by September 15 to allow ample time for scouting and planning, especially for projects in the high country where snow may hinder these efforts.
Non-motorized and LWCF grant cycles
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has announced the opening of the 2022 Non-Motorized and LWCF Grant Cycles. This year’s application deadline for both grant cycles is Monday, October 4.
Non-Motorized Trail Grants
To continue its goal to improve trail recreation opportunities while protecting wildlife, habitat, and cultural resources, CPW is offering three categories for this year’s Non-Motorized Trails Cycle: Construction, Maintenance, and Planning/Support (maximum award of $250,000 in each category).
Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant cycle has a separate grant application for projects to acquire, develop, and maintain public lands for outdoor recreation to improve quality of life and the health and vitality of present and future generations. LWCF requires 100% matching funds and can only be awarded to local, state, or tribal governments. The maximum request for this year’s cycle is $1,250,000 and the minimum request is $100,000. Learn more about the LWCF program.
Wildlife Review Process
To help address potential wildlife impacts in their applications, all potential Non-Motorized or LWCF applicants must contact the corresponding Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager by Tuesday, September 7 to discuss their project. Email a basic project scope and site map to both the appropriate Area Wildlife Manager (contact information can be found here) and
tr****@st***.us
by that date to be eligible for project review and scoring. Guidance on addressing wildlife impacts for trail projects can be found here.
In addition to information found on the website, CPW will be hosting two webinars to go over application requirements and answer commonly asked questions.
To register for a webinar, click on a link below:
2020 Sustainability Commission Achievements. https://www.jeffco.us/DocumentCenter/View/26902
https://www.jeffco.us/3999/Coronavirus-Disease-2019-COVID-19
Colorado’s urban open space past haunts the future of development and community life…from Park Hill Golf to Westminster Farm to the Stock Show grounds, neighbors demand much from rebuilding of spaces they feel ownership in, while developers say there’s only so much they can do.
https://coloradosun.com/2021/08/01/colorado-open-space-battles/
Get the latest news about Denver’s Park Hill Golf Course at https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Departments/Community-Planning-and-Development/Plans-in-Progress/Park-Hill-Golf-Course
Denver Water was warned about unanswered questions on Gross Reservoir permit request. Environmentalists, activists and climate experts anticipated that Denver Water would sue Boulder County over the utility’s $464 million proposal to expand the Gross Reservoir. They just didn’t think it’d be so soon. The utility filed its federal lawsuit July 14, claiming commissioners are taking too long to consider its application for a 1041 permit needed to break ground on the five-year-long project southwest of Boulder. Read more here.
High Country News, August 2021: https://www.hcn.org/articles/climate-change-who-should-pay-for-climate-mitigation-colorado-looks-to-the-oil-industry
SLASH Collection: August 28-29 @ Evergreen Fire District – Station 8
SLASH Collection: September 4-5 @ Wagon Wheel Open Space
SLASH Collection: September 11-12 @ Settlers Drive Property
SLASH Collection: September 18-19 @ Blue Mountain Open Space
SLASH Collection: September 25-26 @ Jeffco Shaffer’s Crossing Road & Bridge Shop
SLASH Collection: October 2-3 @ Beaver Ranch Park
SLASH Collection: October 9-10 @ Beaver Ranch Park
SLASH Collection: October 16-17 @ Mount Vernon Country Club
SLASH Collection: October 23-24 @ Jeffco South Road & Bridge Shop
SLASH Collection: October 30-31 @ Thunder Valley
The following conservation organizations now have RSS feeds at the bottom of each of our own PLANJeffco web pages, so you can follow their postings at any time…
Douglas Land Conservancy, https://douglaslandconservancy.org/
Land Trust Alliance, www.lta.org
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, https://www.birdconservancy.org/
And there you have it. This is part of what we do, who we follow, what we’re interested in, because Conservation just doesn’t happen by itself…it takes a community to make it work. And as always, stay well, stay safe, be conservation-minded at all times.
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 18th 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 19th 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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Mount Sneffels in the autumn. The CORE Act would preserve this beautiful mountain.
Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse, both Democrats, jointly plan to propose legislation in Congress on Monday, January 28, 2019, to preserve 400,000 acres, including 29,000 in the area around Camp Hale.
In southwest Colorado, the act would protect nearly 61,000 acres of the San Juan range and would designate a number of the area’s highest peaks, including fourteeners Mount Sneffels and Wilson Peak, as wilderness.
Named the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act or CORE, it also designates as wilderness nearly 32,000 acres near Telluride, Norwood, Ouray and Ridgway.
The Denver Post posted the article on its website in the afternoon of Jan. 25. https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/25/bill-preserve-colorado-public-lands-michael-bennet-joe-neguse/
The Mountain Area Land Trust in Evergreen is working with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado this summer on Floyd Hill Open Space trail building projects.
Thanks to Clear Creek and Jefferson County open space programs and The Trust for Public Land, a significant portion of Floyd Hill is open to the public and with these projects will eventually offer a number of hiking and biking trails on 108 acres near the I-70 exit.
Trail building dates are set for June 9, July 7 and Aug 25
To learn more and register see voc.org, Trail Construction at Floyd Hill Open Space, http://www.voc.org/project/trail-construction-floyd-hill-open-space
For more information on the Mountain Area Land Trust see http://www.savetheland.org/floyd-hill-open-space
Penkowsky land conserved March 2018, a Conservation Easement on 75 acres in Jefferson County in the center of MALT’s Peak to Peak priority area
Mountain Area Land Trust of Evergreen announced the closing of a Conservation Easement on 75 acres in Jefferson County in the center of MALT’s Peak to Peak priority area.
The property is owned by Greg and Frances Penkowsky. Greg is a MALT Ambassador and the recipient of the 2014 Bud Simon Preservationist of the Year award.
The surrounding terrain and sweeping vistas provide a strong sense of seclusion. From the high point on the Penkowsky property many protected lands are visible, including White Ranch Park, Coal Creek Canyon Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park and a Jefferson County held Conservation Easement.
The Conservation Easement provides additional protection for the Ralston Creek Open Space lands, safeguarding the ridgeline on the south side of Ralston Creek and protecting the viewsheds of thousands of acres of both county and state lands. Building envelopes on the property were sited to ensure the viewshed is forever preserved.
From the high point … many protected lands are visible, including White Ranch Park, Coal Creek Canyon Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park and a Jefferson County held Conservation Easement.
A great deal of ecological and forest restoration work has been completed on the property as well as adjacent lands. Special attention has been given to the retention, recruitment and creation of snags for cavity nesting birds.
Several acres were identified by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program as having very high biodiversity significance, and Red Wind Flower plants (anemone multifida) that are considered uncommon are found on the Penkowsky land.
More information on Mountain Area Land Trust is at SaveTheLand.org
