CROWN HILL OPEN SPACE PARK – A BRIEF HISTORY

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

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

2022 Preservation Progress cover page

Jeffco Open Space 2022 Preservation Progress Annual Report

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Jeffco Open Space 2022 Preservation Progress Annual Report

We have a new addition to our Library, the Open Space 2022 Preservation Progress. It’s an update updates on how Open Space is doing with the Conservation Greenprint 2020-2025.
Apologies for not getting this added before now, it’s been available on the Jeffco Open Space website since sometime this spring. Our Librarian has been remiss.
Happy reading!

Jeffco Open Space Foundation home screen

The Open Space Foundation is Back!

/0 Comments/in , /by

Jeffco Open Space Foundation home screenTwenty-five years ago, a group of volunteers formed an organization called the Jeffco Open Space Foundation, whose purpose was (and is) to raise funds for programs and initiatives that align with its vision, mission, beliefs and its focus areas.

From the beginning, the Foundation has been busy. They have provided partial funding for acquisition of Hildebrand Ranch, South Table, Alderfer/Three Sisters, and Elk Meadow Open Space Parks.

They funded improvements at Evergreen Lake, the Pioneer Trail in Evergreen, and Lair o’the Bear Open Space Park, as well as providing matching funds for the Open Space Grant program. Read more

ALD map park closure 2023

Alderfer/Three Sisters Forest Health 2023-2024

/2 Comments/in , , , /by

Alderfer3Sisters Open Space ParkIf you’ve recently been out to Alderfer/Three Sisters Park recently, you’ll notice that there’s a lot of forestry activity happening, especially in the eastern one-third of the park.

Managing and maintaining forest health is incredibly important to the safety of everyone and everything, and so, after 100+ years of the forest overgrowth, JCOS is able to start work on this park.

Starting in August 2023, the JCOS Forest Management Team will remove seedlings, saplings, and even some larger trees – mostly Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir – so that the density of the forest will be reduced. Eventually some 240 acres throughout the entire park will be mitigated. This will result in a healthier ecosystem that will be far more resilient to wildfire than what is currently in place. Read more

Presidents Report 7/31/2023

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s the merry month of August and President’s Report time, time to catch up with what’s happening in the local land conservation community and spot-checks from around the world.  New this month is a section on Signs of Hope. We hope you enjoy the read, and in so doing, we hope this may broaden perspectives in some small way.
– the Fine Folks at PLAN Jeffco

NOTE: in this Presidents Report you’ll read about lands that have been “Permanently Protected” by land organizations. Most of these protected lands have conservation easements on them and have very limited public availability, unlike our Jeffco Open Space Parks.
What is a conservation easement? It’s a promise to the land, a promise that encumbers the land, that protects the land from ever being developed into something other than what it already is. The land is still privately owned, so no — you cannot go trekking across the property without the owners’ permission, but you can rest assured that the land will not sprout condominiums or shopping centers. Read more

Seen Any Moose Around Here Lately?

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

Bull moose standing in a fieldHave 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

Stack of newspapers

Presidents Report 6/15/2023

/0 Comments/in , /by

Stack of newspapers

Towards the end of every PLAN Jeffco Board meeting, there is a Presidents Report. This is our opportunity to bring awareness to issues that transcend our local Jefferson County Open Space Parks. The Presidents Report lists activities and events from local and regional organizations, both land conservancy and otherwise, with reports from national and global news agencies. We hope you enjoy the read, and in so doing, we hope this may broaden perspectives in some small way.
– the Fine Folks at PLAN Jeffco

NOTE: in this Presidents Report you’ll read about lands that have been “Permanently Protected” by land organizations. Most of these protected lands have conservation easements on them, unlike our Jeffco Open Space Parks.
What is a conservation easement? It’s a promise to the land, a promise that encumbers the land, that protects the land from ever being developed into something other than what it already is. The land is still privately owned, so no — you cannot go trekking across the property without the owners’ permission, but you can rest assured that the land will not sprout condominiums or shopping centers. Read more

PJ Newsletter thumbnail, 2023 March

March 2023 Newsletter

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

PJ Newsletter thumbnail, 2023 March

Inside this issue: Stewardship Academy; Conservation Awards; Peaks to Plains; Acquisitions; Lubahn Trail; Hall of Fame; OSAC Notes

Download your copy of the March 2023 newsletter here

Walk through the mud, not around.

Is Mud Season Really Over?

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

La Nina - El Nino weather patterns across North AmericaIf 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

PLAN Jeffco founder John Litz presenting at the 2023 Conservation Stewardship Academy

LEARNING ABOUT THE LAND IN ‘23

/0 Comments/in , /by

PJ Academy Fall 2022 banner image

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