(Apologies to the Five Man Electrical Band and their recording of “Signs”, circa 1970).
Signs guide us as we travel through life. Signs are part of our everyday life; they’re everywhere we look…
There are signs happy signs, announcing fun events that we may want to take part in:
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What we know today as Crown Hill Open Space Park wasn’t always a public venue. One year before the end of the American Civil War, in 1864, a young man named Henry Lee sojourned west from Iowa to join his brother, William, who had a farm east of Golden, on the south side of Clear Creek.
The land was rich, fertile enough to support wheat fields (Wheat Ridge), fruit orchards (Fruitdale) and further to the north, the farms that would one day become the city of Arvada.
While William worked the farm, Henry traveled on the narrow gauge railroad up Clear Creek Canyon to the mining camps in Gilpin, Clear Creek, and Park counties, selling vegetables to the residents.
In less than 10 years from the time of his arrival, Henry had met and married Jennie Paul, another Iowa ex-pat, and settled down to a married and family life on land that Henry was now farming. Read more
Leave No Trace — do you really understand what it means? LNT is introducing a free course on the principles of Leave No Trace. Training for All calls upon people of all different backgrounds and outdoor experiences to take action by participating in Leave No Trace’s free 45-minute virtual outdoor education course. Read more
Have you seen a moose in our Open Space parks yet? If you haven’t, you may soon. Moose, which was a rarity in Colorado only 50 years ago, are now routinely sighted in Clear Creek and Jefferson Counties since their introduction in 1978 — transplants from Utah and Wyoming. The transplants have delighted in their new home state. According to biologists from Colorado Parks & Wildlife, there are an estimated 3500 moose roaming the Rockies between Red Feather Lakes and Pagosa Springs. Read more
If you’re a regular — or even an occasional — visitor to our Jeffco Open Space Parks, you’ll know about the mud season routine. Walk through, not around the mud.
We’ve had a fabulous spring this year, the mud was intense for a while, but now that the daily rains have slackened off, is mud season really over?
I doubt it. Read more
How do you describe a day full of learning, a day full of presentations on ecosystems, and the many ways to conserve our natural resources? It was fun. It was engaging. It created an awareness of what is happening in the conservation world and what each of us can do about it.
On the 29th of April, 2023, a room full of open space enthusiasts gathered to hear the full story of Jefferson County Open Space, from how it was in the beginning, to the geological, climatological, and biological treasures encompassed within and outside the parks, to future directions in visitor management. Alternative methods of land conservation were introduced. Interactive discussions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and advocacy kept the participants engaged throughout the day. 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.
