Have you ever wondered how many miles of trails are included in our Jeffco Open Space parks? Can you guess how many acres have been preserved? or how much land is under direct management by JCOS? Here’s the place to find out…the Jefferson County Open Space Dashboard.
This is a repost of the article written in April 2021 by D. Jean Tate. Riley is no longer with us, but Jean and Leia, her new trekking companion, continue to visit the Parks. The information and lessons learned are as important today as they were in 2021. We hope you appreciate the reminder and enjoy the read.
Sharing the outdoors with your dog—it’s one of the most enjoyable things I know! For that reason—and because our open lands and trails are used by wildlife plus an ever-increasing number of people for a variety of activities, and also because of dogs’ natural inclinations—there are rules to be followed when you and your dog are outdoors, outside the bounds of your private property. Those rules vary by location based on political boundaries, land ownership, and land management. Read more
It’s called hygge, defined as a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. It’s a defining characteristic of Danish culture, where winters can be long and dark and cold.
Here in the middle of a North American winter, we’ve been experiencing some pretty darn chilly days. A little bit of hygge (purse your lips and say hu-gue) might feel pretty good right now, so I invite you to join me in front of the fireplace. Read more
Miss Mountain Manners here. THE SECRET IS OUT. Everyone seems to know that the place to be is outside in our Open Space parks. How did that happen, and how do we deal with the fact that there are toooo many people out there: hikers, bikers, riders, runners – you name it. Can we live with each other? What about 50 years from now?? (The open space program will be 50 years young in 2022.) What are the alternatives???
We aren’t alone. The national parks are being overrun. National Park attendance has spiked since 2019 (327 million visitors) with usage of many parks doubling (2020 use was down due to COVID and park closures). Read more
Isn’t this a gorgeous sight? Here we are at the Welch Ditch Bridge, the third and western-most of the three bridges that cross Clear Creek between the Gateway Segment Trailhead and the Tunnel One Trailhead.
Recently, Miss Mountain Manners was walking the Clear Creek Gateway Segment Trail, and what a beautiful experience that was. She was just past the Tough Cuss Bridge (the middle bridge), when she ran into this:
Miss Mountain Manners wants to thank the person who did 2/3 of “the right thing”. First, that person brought their own poo bag (poo bags provided at the Trailhead that day were bright orange). Next, that person bagged their puppy’s poo. But then Miss Mountain Manners got confused: why leave the poo bag on the trail? Why not carry it out?
I know what some of you are thinking — that person left the bag and was going to pick it up on the way back. Turns out, that was not the case — this trail is out and back again. Miss Mountain Manners decided to give this person the benefit of the doubt and walked all the way to trail’s end, but did not see anyone walking a dog. Sadly, this poo bag was left behind for the Poop Fairy to collect.
Miss Mountain Manners has news for this person: Read more
In the early summer of 2021 a tiny, 10-month-old cockapoo disappeared while hiking with her family in the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness Area near Aspen. “Bella” was not on lead; she was walking with her human and canine family when something caught her attention and she wandered off-trail. By the time anyone noticed that she was missing, she’s wandered into the woods and was lost.
For the next 4 weeks Bella somehow managed to stay alive, eating whatever she could find, drinking out of rainwater pools and streams, and hiding — hiding from humans and from predators that would have gladly had her for lunch. She was in survival mode, terrified of everyone and everything, focusing only on staying alive from one day to the next.
And then the near-impossible happened, she was found by a human passer-by who possessed the skills and intuition that it took to coax a terrified little dog (by that time she had lost half her body weight and was down to 4 pounds) into the safety of his car. Bella was safely reunited with her people. The wounds she’d received during her month-long sojourn in the wild were tended to, and she returned home to safety.
This story had a happy ending, but happy endings where lost dogs are concerned are not the norm. By some estimates, under the very best of circumstances, only 1 in 5 lost dogs are ever reunited with their people. When a dog is lost in a wilderness area, the statistics can plummet.
Jefferson County Open Space has a regulation concerning dogs in the parks — they’re to be kept on lead and attached to their humans at all times. They’re not allowed to run loose, they’re not allowed to chase wildlife, they’re not allowed to chase other park visitors. This regulation is not meant to be “mean”, it’s meant to ensure that your fur-buddy doesn’t end up as another “Bella”, with an 80%+ chance of never being seen again.
Avoid the heartbreak of loosing your best friend; stay connected. Stay safe. Both of you.
Miss Manners says, “It’s winter. The parks are hunkered down.”
The days are short and often cold – time for the earth, its flora and its fauna, to conserve energy and renew. This period of dormancy helps plants rest up for renewed activity in the warmer days ahead. Many animals are in a survival mode, on minimum rations, and should not be disturbed.
When venturing out at this time of year:
* For yourself: dress in layers, stay hydrated, take along a snack, wear water-proof boots.
* For others: keep your distance, announce your presence as appropriate, wear a mask.
* For the parks: stay on the trail. If the trail is muddy, hike in the mud, don’t start a new parallel trail. If conditions permit, try snowshoes or x-country skis.
Alternate Plan B (once in a while): give nature the chance to restore itself. Put on your warmest socks, make yourself some hot chocolate, turn on your favorite music and enjoy the quiet time at home.
Winter by Rick Warr, June 2017
time to stop
hunker down
withdraw
think
reflect
celebrate silence
hibernate
conserve
hug
roast
contemplate
regenerate
sleep
dream
breathe fresh air
enjoy winter
the quiet season
See you in a warmer, healthier 2021 spring. Until then, stay safe!
Miss Manners
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!
Last year, Jeffco Open Space Parks received approximately 7 million visitors. This year, with the pandemic, we have seen a drastic increase in people finding much-needed stress relief while enjoying our parks. For several years, Rangers and Volunteers have collaborated to host dozens of Share the Trails pop-up events. What’s a pop-up you ask? A pop-up is a focused low-key event where volunteers and staff talk with visitors at the trailheads regarding various pertinent park issues. For example, if a park has an increase in dogs off leash, rangers and volunteers will staff a Love Em’ Leash Em’ table and talk to visitors about dog safety messages (i.e. leashing, picking up waste, providing for dog safety in hot weather, etc). Over the years, pop-ups topics have covered living with wildlife (rattlesnakes, bears, lions, coyotes, etc), share the trails, dog safety and education regarding park management changes. The goal is to educate visitors BEFORE they enter the park and BEFORE they make a mistake. Feedback from visitors has been extremely positive. They seem to really appreciate the one-on-one contact with representatives of Jeffco Open Space.
As I write this article in mid-November, rangers have already responded to more than 1000 calls for service. Some of these calls have been responding to visitor courtesy complaints on North Table Mountain. While rangers routinely patrol the park, a few of our volunteer equestrian Park Patrollers recognized our stretched staff resources and approached me to request they would like to help out by hosting several Share the Trails events at North Table Mountain. These pop-ups generated 550 conversations with our park visitors. Volunteer Frank Blaha, said “often all of us were fully engaged” in conversations with several visitors. He goes on to say, “many people seemed appreciative of us being out, and a few commented it is good to know Rangers and Volunteer Patrollers were working to keep Jeffco Open Space in good shape.” Special thanks go out to Volunteer Patrollers who were instrumental in moving this series of pop-ups along: Dan B., Frank B., Jack M., Jan K., Lydia M. and Sylvan R. Thanks also go out to the many volunteers who dropped by and who spent over 725 hours in 2020 routinely patrolling North Table Mountain Park. I am privileged to work with such an amazing group of volunteers. Jeffco Open Space truly appreciates all they do to support the Jeffco Open Space mission in caring for our parks!
Shaun Howard, Ranger Lead
Jeffco Open Space
303-271-5909
Miss Mountain Manners extends great thanks to Shaun Howard, JCOS Ranger, for sharing the story about these pop-up events. Communication, cooperation…if everyone tried a little harder, imagine what a great world this could be!
It ain’t over til it’s over. And it is definitely not over yet. Jefferson County has seen increased COVID-19 cases and is at risk of tighter restrictions. Jefferson County Public Health is calling on residents to stay strong and focused on preventing the spread of this virus. With rising infection rates, clearly many people are not following the rules. Will you??
Miss Manners, remembering earlier times and common fence-post signs for “Burma Shave,” invites you to play the following game and even create your own sign jingles. Match the sign posts with the proper guideline for your Jefferson County Open Space experiences.
| 1. Meet someone?
Don’t frown Slow down MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
a. COVID-19 primarily spreads person to person to person. Because you can become infected from respiratory droplets when a nearby infected person breathes heavily, coughs, sneezes or talks, maintain a minimum six-foot distance. This will also help prevent them from being infected by you. | |
| 2. Be first rate
Communicate MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
b. Keep one ear-bud out. Enjoy the sounds of nature and let others do the same. | |
| 3. Be a knight
Keep right MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
c. As you approach other trail users (particularly from behind), announce your presence in a timely manner, and loud enough for them to hear. Give them time to find a safe place where they can be socially distanced from you. | |
| 4. Be safe
For instance Keep your distance MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
d. The leash is safer for your dog, the environment, and other park visitors who may be afraid of dogs. Your dog is YOUR friend, but not necessarily another park visitor’s friend and certainly not park wildlife’s friend. | |
| 5. You don’t know
What you’re missin’ Unless you listen MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
e. Cyclists: Pedestrians and equestrians have the right-of-way. Slow down and stop if necessary. | |
| 6. Place no bets
Leash your pets MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
f. Respect public lands and waters. Take ALL of your garbage – including pet wastes – with you. Remember: There is no POOP fairy. | |
| 7. Preserve this place
Leave no trace Take it to the base MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
g. The rules of the road apply. Keep to your right. | |
| 8. Heed the call
Keep your group small MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
h. Common courtesy will make things more pleasant for all those participating. | |
| 9. It’s your task
Wear a mask MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
i. You will have less impact on the parks and other users. It will be easier to maintain social distancing guidelines. Do not take up the whole width of the trail; allow others to pass safely with a minimum of 6-foot distancing. | |
| 10. Treat other trail users with respect
No matter how they are decked MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
j. This will lessen the impact on the environment with less driving. | |
| 11. Don’t pull the rug
Walk through the mud Over hill and dale Stay on the trail MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
k. Going off trail to shortcut a switchback or to avoid mud, widens the trail and is bad for trail sustainability. | |
| 12. Horses first
And then the hikers Yielding to all should be the bikers MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
l. Be prepared to cover your nose and mouth when meeting others. Social distancing is required, particularly when passing other visitors on the trail who are not being considerate by wearing a face covering. | |
| 13. Follow your nose
Stay close to home MOUNTAIN MANNERS MATTER |
WE ARE EMPHATIC – – IT’S A PANDEMIC
