Open Space Update 10/18/2020

Miss Mountain Manners here…wonder what’s been going on at Jeffco Open Space? Here ya’ go, the latest and greatest, from our Director, Tom Hoby:

Deer Creek Canyon Park – Mountain Lion Incident

Mountain lion, photo courtesy of all-free-download.com

On Friday, October 9^th, about 5 p.m., an adult female mountain biker encountered an adult mountain lion on the Red Mesa Loop Trail.  The lion emerged from the vegetation and was traveling “about 2 feet away” from her on her right.  She immediately dismounted and put her bike between her and the lion.  As she shouted and used the bike to clear a safe zone between her and the lion, she made one 11-mintue call to her boyfriend, who coached her to remain strong and continue to fight back while attempting to back away.  After that call dropped, she called 911 and a JeffCom dispatcher coached her through an additional 22 minutes of vigilantly keeping the lion away from her while she attempted to back away.  The lion would disappear into the shrubland cover and then reappear on the trail.  It would also lie on the trail, sphinx-style and make deep, loud purring sounds.  At one point, the lion made contact with her bike tire with its nose, but never made physical contact with her.  The incident ended when two additional riders arrived on scene, apparently startling the lion out of the area.  CPW and JCOS interviewed the reporting party and one thing she indicated was that she “had seen and read the mountain lion signs” and knew mountain lions were in the area and what to do if she sees one.

JCOS closed the Park while CPW officers conducted an investigation.  The Park re-opened on Tuesday with enhanced safety signage, enhanced safety messaging on social media and a schedule of ranger and volunteer-staffed mountain lion safety and awareness education pop ups for the trailhead.

Clear Creek Canyon Park – BCC/Advisory Committee Tour

As part of their yearly meeting the Board of County Commissioners and the Open Space Advisory Committee toured Clear Creek Canyon Park to check out progress on the Gateway Segment.  It was great to showcase all the progress we have made on the project thus far!   Check out Commissioner Dahlkemper’s Twitter feed for pictures of the tour.

https://twitter.com/LDahlkemper/status/1311813207590232065

Mount Falcon – Morrison Trailhead

Road and Bridge broke ground at the Mount Falcon – Morrison Trailhead last week and they are currently grading the site for the temporary expansion lot.  There will be no parking along the stretch of Vine Street that is on our property, or between the neighborhood and the existing parking area, for the duration of the project AND moving forward.  The completion of construction is scheduled for the end of October/early November.  Big thanks to Park Services, Road and Bridge and Transportation and Engineering for coordinating another inter-divisional project.

Cathedral Spires Park – climbing access trail

Cathedral Spires Park- Climbing Access Trail Constructed

Front Range Climbing Stewards (FRCS) completed contract work for 2020!  Stone steps and plenty of rock work help formalize a climbing access trail.  The JCOS Trails Team also performed tread work and stone walls on switchbacks to clean up the access trail and make it more sustainable.

Lot Spot: Additional Parks

Over the last 1.5 years or so, many visitors and staff have enjoyed using the Lot Spot application to see how many parking spaces are available at specific parks. This application is a great tool for our visitors to help plan their visit before they leave home.

We currently have 7 parks that have Lot Spot cameras installed.  Open Space will be adding the following 10 parks to Lot Spot:

• • Pine Valley Ranch
  • Deer Creek Canyon Park
  • Crown Hill Park
  • Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve
  • Matthews/Winters Park
  • Elk Meadow Park
  • South Valley Park
  • Meyer Ranch (South Parking Lot)
  • Flying J Ranch
  • Apex Park

Stay tuned for more information to come on when the installation will begin on the ground!

Miss Mountain Manners again — I hope you’re following Park regulations for safety and distancing while you’re enjoying the Open Space experience. As always, fellow visitors, stay well, stay safe.